Collector type writing instrument

#The present invention relates to improvement of a free-ink collector type writing instrument having a point assembly as a writing portion at the tip, such as a ball-point pen, felt pen, fountain pen, etc., comprised of an ink tank for storing ink directly, a collector as an adjuster made up of multiple vanes for adjusting the internal pressure using capillary action, a means for feeding ink from the ink tank to the point assembly. The present invention particularly relates to improvement against deficiencies immediately after production and improvement of the collector in the internal pressure adjusting function to deal with change in temperature and change in pressure during use.

#Writing instruments which have a collector disposed between a point assembly and ink tank for retaining free-state ink and regulating the pressure inside the ink tank so as to prevent ink leakage from the pen tip and ink from flooding from an air hole have been conventionally known.

#There have also been known so-called sliver type pens which have a sliver of fabric bundles impregnated with a low viscosity ink of some mPa·s and an ink feed for feeding ink to their pen point. This sliver type pen, however, has the problem of ink consumption being indiscernible and the problem that an ample amount of ink flows out, and hence thick drawn lines can be obtained, in the starting stage but the flow amount gradually becomes lower, and hence the drawn lines become thinner, as the ink is used for writing. In order to smoothly deliver the ink from the sliver, the capillary capacity of the sliver may be set to be low. However, this setting will increase the occurrence of ink leakage and eruption from the sliver and smudging clothes due to impacts such as from being dropped. In contrast, if the capillary capacity of the fabric sliver is increased, there occurs an ink ejection problem in that the ink flow rate sharply lowers as the ink is used for writing and the drawn lines become considerably thin in the latter half of its life even though there is still an abundant amount of ink left.

#FIG. 1 is a partly sectional vertical view showing a writing instrument body according to the embodiment of the present invention;

#FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an auxiliary retaining grooved portion in a collector according to the embodiment of the present invention;

#FIG. 3 is an illustrative view showing an enclosed portion 19b and its vicinity of the cross-sectional view cut along A-A′ in FIG. 1;

#Next, a collector type writing instrument according to the embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

#FIGS. 1 to 6 show a collector type roller ball-point pen as an example of the present invention and a collector 6a as its main part. Here, the same components as those described above are allotted with the same reference numerals without description.

#A typical collector type writing roller ball-point pen has a point assembly 1 which idly holds a writing ball 9 disposed at its tip in such a manner it is rotatable and will not fall off while ink 2 is led from an ink tank 3 to ball 9 by way of a collector core 7 and a center core 8. Hereinbelow, ink feeder cores (center core 8, collector core 7, etc.) will also include those which themselves serve as pen tips.