Efficient fluid dispensing utensil
AssigneeAvery Dennison Corporation
InventorsRainer Kaufmann, Dale E. Harder
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A fluid dispensing utensil, such as a writing utensil, includes a container (20) defining a first storage area (11) for storing fluid, a second storage area (25) and an opening therebetween, a tip (15), a capillary conveying line (14) extending from the opening through at least a portion of the second storage area to the tip, and a capillary storage (16) associated with the second storage area and in direct contact with the conveying line. A porous shroud (28) may also be provided. Even still, the capillary conveying line and the capillary storage may be a unitary fibrous structure where the fibers are aligned along the longitudinal axis defined by the tip and the opening.
Claims37
A fluid dispensing utensil, comprising:
- a container defining an interior surface, the container being separated into a first storage area for storing fluid and a second storage area with an opening therebetween;
- a tip;
- a conveying line made of porous fiber bundles filling the opening and extending from the opening through at least a portion of the second storage area to the tip, wherein the fibers of the conveying line are aligned with the longitudinal axis of the conveying line;
- and
- a capillary storage made of a porous fiber bundle and associated with the second storage area, the capillary storage being in direct contact with the conveying line, wherein the fibers of the storage are aligned with the longitudinal axis of the conveying ine, wherein the fibers of the capillary storage create larger voids than the fibers of the conveying line.
A fluid capillary channel associated with a fluid source, comprising:
- an inlet adapted to be coupled to the fluid source;
- a tip;
- and
- a plurality of fibers bundled along a longitudinal axis from the inlet and the tip, wherein the bundle of fibers has a varying effective pore size, and wherein the effective pore size of the bundle of fibers generally increases continuously and radially from the longitudinal axis.
An efficient fluid dispensing utensil, comprising:
- a container defining an interior surface, the container being separated into a first storage area for storing fluid and a second storage area with an opening therebetween;
- a feeder terminating at a tip;
- and
- a unitary capillary channel associated with the second storage area, the capillary channel having a rear end and a second end, the rear end of the capillary channel coupled filling the opening between the first and second storage areas, the feeder coupled to the second end of the capillary channel, wherein the unitary capillary channel is comprised of a plurality of fibers aligned along a longitudinal axis between the rear end and the tip, wherein the plurality of adjacent fibers provide porous paths along the fibers having an effective pore size, and wherein the effective pore size of the plurality of porous fibers generally increases radially from the longitudinal axis;
- whereby said unitary capillary channel normally acts to convey fluid directly from said conduit to said tip through centrally located fiber paths, and upon excess flow of fluid resulting from overpressure in said first storage area, the fluid may be stored in porous volumes associated with said longitudinally extending fibers which are radially outward from said centrally located fibers.
A combination of a conveying line and a capillary storage for conveying liquid through the conveying line and storing any excess liquid in the capillary storage, comprising:
- a conveying line having a distribution from a smallest capillarity to a largest capillarity, wherein between the smallest capillarity and the largest capillarity of the conveying line is an average capillarity, the conveying line having a proximal end and a distal end, the distal end adapted to be in direct contact with liquid in a storage area;
- and
- a capillary storage having a distribution from a smallest capillarity to a largest capillarity, wherein between the smallest capillarity and the largest capillarity of the capillary storage is an average capillarity, the capillary storage having an opening at least partially through its longitudinal axis, wherein the conveying line is adapted to be inserted into the opening of the capillary storage and at least a portion of the capillary storage is in direct contact with the conveying line, such that the capillary storage only comes into contact with the liquid in the storage area by way of the conveying line, wherein the smallest capillarity of the conveying line is at least equal to the largest capillarity of the capillary storage.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.