CA1209093A - Writing instruments and their manufacture - Google Patents
Writing instruments and their manufactureInfo
- Publication number
- CA1209093A CA1209093A CA000423484A CA423484A CA1209093A CA 1209093 A CA1209093 A CA 1209093A CA 000423484 A CA000423484 A CA 000423484A CA 423484 A CA423484 A CA 423484A CA 1209093 A CA1209093 A CA 1209093A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- barrier
- ink
- writing instrument
- air
- reservoir
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B43—WRITING OR DRAWING IMPLEMENTS; BUREAU ACCESSORIES
- B43K—IMPLEMENTS FOR WRITING OR DRAWING
- B43K5/00—Pens with ink reservoirs in holders, e.g. fountain-pens
- B43K5/18—Arrangements for feeding the ink to the nibs
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B43—WRITING OR DRAWING IMPLEMENTS; BUREAU ACCESSORIES
- B43K—IMPLEMENTS FOR WRITING OR DRAWING
- B43K7/00—Ball-point pens
- B43K7/02—Ink reservoirs; Ink cartridges
- B43K7/08—Preventing leakage
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B43—WRITING OR DRAWING IMPLEMENTS; BUREAU ACCESSORIES
- B43K—IMPLEMENTS FOR WRITING OR DRAWING
- B43K8/00—Pens with writing-points other than nibs or balls
- B43K8/02—Pens with writing-points other than nibs or balls with writing-points comprising fibres, felt, or similar porous or capillary material
- B43K8/04—Arrangements for feeding ink to writing-points
Abstract
A B S T R A C T
In a writing instrument including an ink reservoir and an air hole, the air hole is spanned by a barrier formed as a porous non-absorbent ink repellent membrane of substantially uniform pore size. The barrier is non-porously sealed, for example by direct heating or ultrasonic welding, along its entire periphery to the wall of the air hole, the barrier allowing air to pass freely therethrough in both directions, but preventing escape of ink therethrough and therearound. The barrier is preferably formed of polytetrafluoroethylene with a pore radius of not more than 10 µm and a thickness of not more than 200 µm. The ink for use in the writing instrument preferably has a surface tension of not less than 30 nM m-1, a viscosity of not more than 10 cp and a wetting angle with the carrier of not less than 100°.
In a writing instrument including an ink reservoir and an air hole, the air hole is spanned by a barrier formed as a porous non-absorbent ink repellent membrane of substantially uniform pore size. The barrier is non-porously sealed, for example by direct heating or ultrasonic welding, along its entire periphery to the wall of the air hole, the barrier allowing air to pass freely therethrough in both directions, but preventing escape of ink therethrough and therearound. The barrier is preferably formed of polytetrafluoroethylene with a pore radius of not more than 10 µm and a thickness of not more than 200 µm. The ink for use in the writing instrument preferably has a surface tension of not less than 30 nM m-1, a viscosity of not more than 10 cp and a wetting angle with the carrier of not less than 100°.
Description
~2~ 3 WRITIN& INSTRUMENTS '~ND TEEI~- ~ANU~A~TU~E
~ .
The present invention relates to writing instrume~t6, o~ the ki~d including an ~ir hole allowing ingres6 and egress of air to and ~rom an iuk re6ervoir, as well as to methods of making such ~riti~g instrument~.
It is well k~own that, aæ a result of a temp~rature or pressure cha~ge, ink may be ~orced out of the reservoir.
A collector for temporarily retaining this di~placed ink is therefore u~ually provided, ~owever, with exce~slv~
changes, ~uch a6 repeated impact~, fllcking, placing close to a radiator or al~itude change~ as experienced i~
flying, the collector is filled. Excess displaced i~ ~s then ejected through the air hole. In the absence of a collector, displaced ~nk would be e~ected direc~ly ~hrough the air hole. Thi~ can cause co~æiderable damage to clothing, i~ unexpected, and i~ i~ any event a ~uisance and a waste of ink, Many attem~s have been made over the past 90 years or ~o to reduce leakage of i~k through the air hole.
Initially, the attempts were rather crude and UOS~ Patent 511,134 (F. Gilbert) merely proposed the use of a perforated disc. The hope was that the perforations would allow air to enter the reservoir but the disc would retain ink within the reservoir~ ~ven though this did not work, the same kind of arrangement was proposed in U.S. Patent 2,618,239 (I.D. Tefft) with the provision that the perforations would need to be sufficiently small, and the ink would need to be sufficiently viscous. More xecently, U.S. Patent 4,108,559 (Dick et al) has acknowledged that ink seepage has still occurred through a variety of materials which are porous, 30 rather than perforated, and has instead proposed a complica~ed braided bundle of filaments encased ... .~
in an elongate shea$h. It ~s thus clear that, although the theor~ of operatlon is well established, no practical and economic answer to the problem has been found.
The alm of the present invention is to provide such good immunity ~rom leakage through the air hole, ~ven by a low viscosity ink, that lt is necessary to seal all other ink escape routes, except of course a writing tip, to prevent the air hole being by-passed.
~ writlng instrument, in accordance wlth a fi~st aspect o~ the present invention, comprises an ink reservoir and an air hole, the air hole being spanned by a barrier formed as a porous non-absorbent ink repellent membrane o~ substantially uni~orm pore size non-porously sealed along its entire periphery to the wall o~ the hole, ~hlch barrier allows air to pass freely therethrough in both directions but prevents escape of ink therethrough and therearound.
Requixlng the barrier to be porous (preferably a pore radius o~ not more than 10 ~m~, non-absorbent in that ~he pores xemain empty when in contact with ink at normal operating pressures, in~ repellent ln that the wetting angle ~or ink on the barrier is greater than 90 Cpre~erably not less than 100) and o~ substantially un~form pore size rather than random pore slzes, allows the barr~er to be as thin as a membrane (preferably ~ot more than 200 ~m).
The wr~ting ~nstrument is intended ~or use with an ink o~ high sur~ace tension and low ~iscosity (preferably not less than 30mN m 1 and not more than 10 cp respectiYely) and can there~ore be used with, merely as exam~les, an extruded plastics tip, a ball point or a ~ountaln n~.
Pre~erably, the barrier ls situated at the only point ~rom which air can enter the reservolr or ~nk can escape ~rom the writ~ng instrument other than through its writing t~p.
Other independently pre~erred embodlments are that:
an ~nk ~eed to the wr~tlng tip is totally independent ~ ink ~low ~o and from a collector;
the o~ly route for ink to and from capillary ~lns in the collector is through a weir;
the lnk ~eed and the collector are integrally or separately moulded of a plastlcs material such as polyethylene or acrylonltrlle-butadiene-styrene;
the air hole is constituted by a passageway which extends through the co~lector, lf present, or through a caslng to connect the reservoir to the atmosphere; or alternatively the reservoir i~cludes a ~ibrous absorber.
The barrier presen$s a membrane which may be ~ormed ~rom microflbres which are ~used together at their lntersectlons. Such a membrane is available commercially under the trade name Mitex (RTM) ~rom Milllpore ~UK) Ltd., of Abbey Road, Lo~don, England. Another suitable barrier is available commercially under reference SM 11842 from Sartorius Instruments Ltd., o~ Belmont, Surrey, England.
These ~d other similar ~luorinated polymeric membranes are marketed as ~ilters ~or the purpose OI removing solid particulate mater~ al ~rom unidlrec~io~al ~luld ~low therethroughO
It may be thought that, in ge~eral terms, most porous ~aterlals (e.g. porcelain) can be used as a barrier to stop leakage o~ a fluld therethrough, while allowing free passage of alr. Unless the ~luld ls me~cury, ~or 3Q example, ~t w~ll be absorbed ln the pores of the barrier and w~ll, sooner or later, saturate the barrler. There ls then no ~urther protect~on against leakage other tha~
~y nor~al cap~llary ~orces. Moreover, while the barrier is belng saturated, there cannot be ~ree passage oi air through t~e bar~er because the air f~rst has to displace the ~luid from the pores o~ the barrier. I~ used in a ~rlting ~nstr~ment, the lack of free passage of air to the reserYoir wlll result ln a reduction in the ~low o~
ink to the urlting tip. In the present invention, the porous materlal ls also re~ulred to haYe a number o~
further physical characteristlcs so that ink will not penetrate the pores until a considerable pressure has been applled.
The head o~ u~d, corresponding to the pressurP, requ~red to force ~nk into the pores (assuming cylindrical capillaries~ is giYen by the usual equatlon for capilla~y rlse:-~P - - 2 ~ cos ~
where ~P is the liquid head ~ is the sur~ace tenslon of the liquid ~ is the wetting angle r is the pore radius Pre~erably, the pore radius ls small (e.g~ 10 ~m or less~, the wetting angle ls high (necessarlly over 90 2Q to be described as lnk repellent), and the sur~ace tension ls high (e.g. 30mN m 1 or more~, to lncrease the liquid head necessary to ~orce ink ~nto the pores.
For example, i~ the pore radius ~s 2.5 ~m, the wetting angle ~s 100, and the ink sur~ace tension ls 40mN m 1, the barrler will support a liquid head oi 566 mm.
It will thus be clear that the present inventlon permits a high degree o~ immuni$y to be achieYed ~rom ~n~ leakage. The immunity ~rom leakage through the air hole may be so great that lt ls necessary to seal (e.~.
by use o~ an adheslve) any other lnk escape ~outes to pre ventthe alr hole being by-passed. Indeed it is also ~mportant that the ai~ hole be properly spanned and sealed on the periphery otherwlse the barrier mlght ltsel~ be by~passed.
~ method o~ making a writing ~nstrument in accord-ance with a second aspect o~ the present inventioncompr~ses heat sealing the ~ntire periphery o~ a barrier ~ormed as a porous non-absorbent ink repellent membrane o~ substantlally unlform pore size ln such a manner that a central part o~ the barrier spans an air hole to allow al~ to pass ~reely therethrough ln both dlrectlons but to prevent escape o~ lnk ~rom an ink ~eservoir with the perlpheral part of the barrier being non-porously- -sealed to the wall o~ the hole.
10Pre~erably, the act o~ applying heat causes a pro~ecting seat~ng to melt and permeate the pores at the per~phery o~ the barrler. The best bond ls produced by a thermoplastics materlal which is melted to a high temperature to produce low viscosity and is under a sealing pressure to induce good penetration. The melting o~ the seating can be induced elther by d~rectly heating or indirectly by ~or example welding ultrasonically.
~s integrity oi the seal is of greater s~gni~icance than ~ts strength, $he seating is pre~erably tapered, and ls thinner ne~rer the barrier. The e~ectlve central area of the barr~er (not obstructed by the heat sealing~ is prefera~ly ~etween 0.25 mm2 and 25 mm2, Two wrltlng ~nstruments and their methods o~
manui~cture, ln accordance with the present invention, w~ll now be descr~bed, by way o~ example only~ ~ith reference to the accompanying drawings in whlch:-Fig~re 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectlon through a metal casing, a ~arrler and a plastlcs mouldlng ~orming ~art o~ a ~irst writlng lnstrument;
30Figure 2 ~s a sidQ Yiew of just the plastics ~ouldl~g taken at 90 ~rom Figure l;
~gure 3 is a trans~erse cross~sect~on o~ ~us~ the pl~stic~ ~ouldlng taken along the llne ~-~ o~ Figure l;
~sgure 4 ls a schematlc ~lew lndicating the oper~tlonal ~elat~onshlp between var~ous ~eatures o~ the ~ZQ~3 -~lrst w~iting instrument; and ~ igure 5 is a longltudinal cross-section through a metal caæing, a ~ibrous reservoir, an extruded plastics tip, ~ barrier and a nlb holder ~orm~ng part o~ a second writlng instrument.
As the skllled reader wlll appreciate that ~igures 1 t~ 4 o~ the accompanylng drawings basically illustrate part o~ a known low viscoslty ball polnt pen reflll described more fully in our British patent 1 547 860 ~t wlll be necessary to describe only brie~ly-its major components, A one-piece polyethylene moulding 10 presents an ink ~eed channel 1~ and a collector 14. As shown most clearly in ~igu~e 4, the ink ~eed channel 12 e~tends ~etween a reservoir 16 and a point 18, and the collector 14 i~cludes a plural~y of parallel capillary ~lns 20 for reta~ning lnk dlsplaced ~rom the reservolr 16 through a we~r 22. There is no direct ink Plow between the lnk ~eed channel 12 and the collector 14. As shown most clearly in F~gure 1, the reservoir 16 ls ~ormed by a generally cyl~ndrical metal caslng 24 which is sealed by an adhesiYe such as an epoxy resln to the ~ouldlng 10 to enclose the collector 14. An air passageway 26 o~ s~ware cross-section extends through the moulding 10 and ope~s on e~ther slde o~ the seal between the moulding 10 and the caslng 24.
The air passageway 26 ls spanned by a barrier 28 whose entire perlphery is heat sealed to the mo~ldlng 10 so t~at a ce~tral part o~ the ba~rier 28 allows air to pa~s ~reely th~rethrough ln both dlrect~ons but lnk is preYented ~rom escapln~ ~rom the reservoir 16 ~hrough and around the ~arrier 28.
The barrier 28 ls ~ormed o~ pore Mi~e~ LS
(RT~ w~th a nomlnal pore radlus o~ 2.5 ~m, a thickness o~ ~pr~lmately 0.~ mm and an ef~ective central area of O.66 mm2. Side regions of the barrier 28 ~re sealed to an lnitially pro~ectlng seatlng 30 on the mouldlng 10 by the application o~ heat to the ~arrler 28, Be~ore the heat~ng starts, the seating 30 ls thinner nearer the barrier 28, The barrier 28 could ha~e di~erent dlmensions, lle in a di~ferent attltude, and be ~ormed as a di~erent porous hydrophobic polymerlc homogeneous membrane, proYided that lts e~fect ~s as ~ollows..
I~ use, ink having a viscosity lesæ than 10 cp is withdrawn ~rom the reservoir 16 durlng wrl~ng. Any lnk in the collector 14 drains back through the we~r 22 under the displacement action of air which can pass ~reely through the barrler 28, The weir 22 ~hus controls the ink ~eed pressure in the reservo~r 16 in the normal way. In the eyent that the collector 14 ls ~llled by ~nk, however, as a result of exce~si~e, temperature or pressure changes, the ink cannot penetrate the barrier 28 a~d thus cannot escape through the air passageway 26.
Indeed, because the ink merely lies agalnst the sur~ace of the barrier 28, air passlng through the barrler 28 does not need to d~splace any ~nk ~rom the pores i~ thé
barrier 28, and the air ~here~ore passes ireely through the ~arrler 28, It ~11 be appreciated that~ l~ the above-descrlbed example, the barrier 28 fulfils all o~ the ~ollowlng design criterla: it is situated such that the collector 14 ~s ~ull before ~nk reaches lt ~o as no~ to inter~ere with ~ormal operation of the welr 22 and the collector 14; ~t represent~ the only route for alr to ~o~e into and ~ut of the reservolr 16; it ~epresents the only ~-~oss~le exit ~or ~nk other than through the lnk feed channel 12; it has a small pore size to gi~e good leakage lmmunlty yet ~u~c~e~t air ~low; lt has a cross-sectlon-al area s~icient to allow air ~low at small pore size consistent w~th strength o~ materlal, ~t haæ a small th~c~ess consistent with strength to allow use of small pore ~ze without restrictlng air ~low, and ~ ~s enclosed by the casing 24 to prevent physical d~nage and contamlnatlon which would af~ect its hydrophoblc ~ropert-ies and hence lts leakage resistance.
An alternati~e embodiment ls lllustrated ln ~igure 5 lncludlng ~ ~ibrous reservoir 50 formed o~ for example cellulose acetate or polyethylene terephthalate located wlthln a metal casing 52. An extruded tlp 54 o~ polyacetal extends from the ~lb~ous reser~oir 50 and is supported wlth~n a central~bore 56 o~ a nib, holder 58 made o~ polyethylene. One end (rlght hand as sh~wn~ of the bore 56 is in communication with an::air gap sur~ounding the ~ibrous reservolr 50l and the other end oX the bore 56 is ln communicatlon with an alr hole 60 leadin~ to atmosphere.
A barrier 62 o~ Millipore Mltex LS (RTM) spans the air hole 60 and is heat sealed in a similar manner to that prevlously described to the nib holder 58 so that the central part of the barrler 62 allows air to pass ~reely therethrough in both dlrectlons but lnk ls prevented from escaping through and around the barrier ~2.
hs th~s embodiment has no collector, any low Yiscoslty ink displaced Yrom the ~ibrous reservolr 50, as a result o~ ~or exarnple lmpact or sudden accelerat~on, wlll enter and ~ll the bore 56, but will then be prevented from escaping by the barrier 62.
It wlll be appreclated that the alr hole 60, and thus the barrier 62, need not necessarlly be located in the position shown, but could be located at any pos~tlon such that i~ con~nunlcates w~th the a~r gap surroundlng -,-the flbrous reservolr 50.
~ .
The present invention relates to writing instrume~t6, o~ the ki~d including an ~ir hole allowing ingres6 and egress of air to and ~rom an iuk re6ervoir, as well as to methods of making such ~riti~g instrument~.
It is well k~own that, aæ a result of a temp~rature or pressure cha~ge, ink may be ~orced out of the reservoir.
A collector for temporarily retaining this di~placed ink is therefore u~ually provided, ~owever, with exce~slv~
changes, ~uch a6 repeated impact~, fllcking, placing close to a radiator or al~itude change~ as experienced i~
flying, the collector is filled. Excess displaced i~ ~s then ejected through the air hole. In the absence of a collector, displaced ~nk would be e~ected direc~ly ~hrough the air hole. Thi~ can cause co~æiderable damage to clothing, i~ unexpected, and i~ i~ any event a ~uisance and a waste of ink, Many attem~s have been made over the past 90 years or ~o to reduce leakage of i~k through the air hole.
Initially, the attempts were rather crude and UOS~ Patent 511,134 (F. Gilbert) merely proposed the use of a perforated disc. The hope was that the perforations would allow air to enter the reservoir but the disc would retain ink within the reservoir~ ~ven though this did not work, the same kind of arrangement was proposed in U.S. Patent 2,618,239 (I.D. Tefft) with the provision that the perforations would need to be sufficiently small, and the ink would need to be sufficiently viscous. More xecently, U.S. Patent 4,108,559 (Dick et al) has acknowledged that ink seepage has still occurred through a variety of materials which are porous, 30 rather than perforated, and has instead proposed a complica~ed braided bundle of filaments encased ... .~
in an elongate shea$h. It ~s thus clear that, although the theor~ of operatlon is well established, no practical and economic answer to the problem has been found.
The alm of the present invention is to provide such good immunity ~rom leakage through the air hole, ~ven by a low viscosity ink, that lt is necessary to seal all other ink escape routes, except of course a writing tip, to prevent the air hole being by-passed.
~ writlng instrument, in accordance wlth a fi~st aspect o~ the present invention, comprises an ink reservoir and an air hole, the air hole being spanned by a barrier formed as a porous non-absorbent ink repellent membrane o~ substantially uni~orm pore size non-porously sealed along its entire periphery to the wall o~ the hole, ~hlch barrier allows air to pass freely therethrough in both directions but prevents escape of ink therethrough and therearound.
Requixlng the barrier to be porous (preferably a pore radius o~ not more than 10 ~m~, non-absorbent in that ~he pores xemain empty when in contact with ink at normal operating pressures, in~ repellent ln that the wetting angle ~or ink on the barrier is greater than 90 Cpre~erably not less than 100) and o~ substantially un~form pore size rather than random pore slzes, allows the barr~er to be as thin as a membrane (preferably ~ot more than 200 ~m).
The wr~ting ~nstrument is intended ~or use with an ink o~ high sur~ace tension and low ~iscosity (preferably not less than 30mN m 1 and not more than 10 cp respectiYely) and can there~ore be used with, merely as exam~les, an extruded plastics tip, a ball point or a ~ountaln n~.
Pre~erably, the barrier ls situated at the only point ~rom which air can enter the reservolr or ~nk can escape ~rom the writ~ng instrument other than through its writing t~p.
Other independently pre~erred embodlments are that:
an ~nk ~eed to the wr~tlng tip is totally independent ~ ink ~low ~o and from a collector;
the o~ly route for ink to and from capillary ~lns in the collector is through a weir;
the lnk ~eed and the collector are integrally or separately moulded of a plastlcs material such as polyethylene or acrylonltrlle-butadiene-styrene;
the air hole is constituted by a passageway which extends through the co~lector, lf present, or through a caslng to connect the reservoir to the atmosphere; or alternatively the reservoir i~cludes a ~ibrous absorber.
The barrier presen$s a membrane which may be ~ormed ~rom microflbres which are ~used together at their lntersectlons. Such a membrane is available commercially under the trade name Mitex (RTM) ~rom Milllpore ~UK) Ltd., of Abbey Road, Lo~don, England. Another suitable barrier is available commercially under reference SM 11842 from Sartorius Instruments Ltd., o~ Belmont, Surrey, England.
These ~d other similar ~luorinated polymeric membranes are marketed as ~ilters ~or the purpose OI removing solid particulate mater~ al ~rom unidlrec~io~al ~luld ~low therethroughO
It may be thought that, in ge~eral terms, most porous ~aterlals (e.g. porcelain) can be used as a barrier to stop leakage o~ a fluld therethrough, while allowing free passage of alr. Unless the ~luld ls me~cury, ~or 3Q example, ~t w~ll be absorbed ln the pores of the barrier and w~ll, sooner or later, saturate the barrler. There ls then no ~urther protect~on against leakage other tha~
~y nor~al cap~llary ~orces. Moreover, while the barrier is belng saturated, there cannot be ~ree passage oi air through t~e bar~er because the air f~rst has to displace the ~luid from the pores o~ the barrier. I~ used in a ~rlting ~nstr~ment, the lack of free passage of air to the reserYoir wlll result ln a reduction in the ~low o~
ink to the urlting tip. In the present invention, the porous materlal ls also re~ulred to haYe a number o~
further physical characteristlcs so that ink will not penetrate the pores until a considerable pressure has been applled.
The head o~ u~d, corresponding to the pressurP, requ~red to force ~nk into the pores (assuming cylindrical capillaries~ is giYen by the usual equatlon for capilla~y rlse:-~P - - 2 ~ cos ~
where ~P is the liquid head ~ is the sur~ace tenslon of the liquid ~ is the wetting angle r is the pore radius Pre~erably, the pore radius ls small (e.g~ 10 ~m or less~, the wetting angle ls high (necessarlly over 90 2Q to be described as lnk repellent), and the sur~ace tension ls high (e.g. 30mN m 1 or more~, to lncrease the liquid head necessary to ~orce ink ~nto the pores.
For example, i~ the pore radius ~s 2.5 ~m, the wetting angle ~s 100, and the ink sur~ace tension ls 40mN m 1, the barrler will support a liquid head oi 566 mm.
It will thus be clear that the present inventlon permits a high degree o~ immuni$y to be achieYed ~rom ~n~ leakage. The immunity ~rom leakage through the air hole may be so great that lt ls necessary to seal (e.~.
by use o~ an adheslve) any other lnk escape ~outes to pre ventthe alr hole being by-passed. Indeed it is also ~mportant that the ai~ hole be properly spanned and sealed on the periphery otherwlse the barrier mlght ltsel~ be by~passed.
~ method o~ making a writing ~nstrument in accord-ance with a second aspect o~ the present inventioncompr~ses heat sealing the ~ntire periphery o~ a barrier ~ormed as a porous non-absorbent ink repellent membrane o~ substantlally unlform pore size ln such a manner that a central part o~ the barrier spans an air hole to allow al~ to pass ~reely therethrough ln both dlrectlons but to prevent escape o~ lnk ~rom an ink ~eservoir with the perlpheral part of the barrier being non-porously- -sealed to the wall o~ the hole.
10Pre~erably, the act o~ applying heat causes a pro~ecting seat~ng to melt and permeate the pores at the per~phery o~ the barrler. The best bond ls produced by a thermoplastics materlal which is melted to a high temperature to produce low viscosity and is under a sealing pressure to induce good penetration. The melting o~ the seating can be induced elther by d~rectly heating or indirectly by ~or example welding ultrasonically.
~s integrity oi the seal is of greater s~gni~icance than ~ts strength, $he seating is pre~erably tapered, and ls thinner ne~rer the barrier. The e~ectlve central area of the barr~er (not obstructed by the heat sealing~ is prefera~ly ~etween 0.25 mm2 and 25 mm2, Two wrltlng ~nstruments and their methods o~
manui~cture, ln accordance with the present invention, w~ll now be descr~bed, by way o~ example only~ ~ith reference to the accompanying drawings in whlch:-Fig~re 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectlon through a metal casing, a ~arrler and a plastlcs mouldlng ~orming ~art o~ a ~irst writlng lnstrument;
30Figure 2 ~s a sidQ Yiew of just the plastics ~ouldl~g taken at 90 ~rom Figure l;
~gure 3 is a trans~erse cross~sect~on o~ ~us~ the pl~stic~ ~ouldlng taken along the llne ~-~ o~ Figure l;
~sgure 4 ls a schematlc ~lew lndicating the oper~tlonal ~elat~onshlp between var~ous ~eatures o~ the ~ZQ~3 -~lrst w~iting instrument; and ~ igure 5 is a longltudinal cross-section through a metal caæing, a ~ibrous reservoir, an extruded plastics tip, ~ barrier and a nlb holder ~orm~ng part o~ a second writlng instrument.
As the skllled reader wlll appreciate that ~igures 1 t~ 4 o~ the accompanylng drawings basically illustrate part o~ a known low viscoslty ball polnt pen reflll described more fully in our British patent 1 547 860 ~t wlll be necessary to describe only brie~ly-its major components, A one-piece polyethylene moulding 10 presents an ink ~eed channel 1~ and a collector 14. As shown most clearly in ~igu~e 4, the ink ~eed channel 12 e~tends ~etween a reservoir 16 and a point 18, and the collector 14 i~cludes a plural~y of parallel capillary ~lns 20 for reta~ning lnk dlsplaced ~rom the reservolr 16 through a we~r 22. There is no direct ink Plow between the lnk ~eed channel 12 and the collector 14. As shown most clearly in F~gure 1, the reservoir 16 ls ~ormed by a generally cyl~ndrical metal caslng 24 which is sealed by an adhesiYe such as an epoxy resln to the ~ouldlng 10 to enclose the collector 14. An air passageway 26 o~ s~ware cross-section extends through the moulding 10 and ope~s on e~ther slde o~ the seal between the moulding 10 and the caslng 24.
The air passageway 26 ls spanned by a barrier 28 whose entire perlphery is heat sealed to the mo~ldlng 10 so t~at a ce~tral part o~ the ba~rier 28 allows air to pa~s ~reely th~rethrough ln both dlrect~ons but lnk is preYented ~rom escapln~ ~rom the reservoir 16 ~hrough and around the ~arrier 28.
The barrier 28 ls ~ormed o~ pore Mi~e~ LS
(RT~ w~th a nomlnal pore radlus o~ 2.5 ~m, a thickness o~ ~pr~lmately 0.~ mm and an ef~ective central area of O.66 mm2. Side regions of the barrier 28 ~re sealed to an lnitially pro~ectlng seatlng 30 on the mouldlng 10 by the application o~ heat to the ~arrler 28, Be~ore the heat~ng starts, the seating 30 ls thinner nearer the barrier 28, The barrier 28 could ha~e di~erent dlmensions, lle in a di~ferent attltude, and be ~ormed as a di~erent porous hydrophobic polymerlc homogeneous membrane, proYided that lts e~fect ~s as ~ollows..
I~ use, ink having a viscosity lesæ than 10 cp is withdrawn ~rom the reservoir 16 durlng wrl~ng. Any lnk in the collector 14 drains back through the we~r 22 under the displacement action of air which can pass ~reely through the barrler 28, The weir 22 ~hus controls the ink ~eed pressure in the reservo~r 16 in the normal way. In the eyent that the collector 14 ls ~llled by ~nk, however, as a result of exce~si~e, temperature or pressure changes, the ink cannot penetrate the barrier 28 a~d thus cannot escape through the air passageway 26.
Indeed, because the ink merely lies agalnst the sur~ace of the barrier 28, air passlng through the barrler 28 does not need to d~splace any ~nk ~rom the pores i~ thé
barrier 28, and the air ~here~ore passes ireely through the ~arrler 28, It ~11 be appreciated that~ l~ the above-descrlbed example, the barrier 28 fulfils all o~ the ~ollowlng design criterla: it is situated such that the collector 14 ~s ~ull before ~nk reaches lt ~o as no~ to inter~ere with ~ormal operation of the welr 22 and the collector 14; ~t represent~ the only route for alr to ~o~e into and ~ut of the reservolr 16; it ~epresents the only ~-~oss~le exit ~or ~nk other than through the lnk feed channel 12; it has a small pore size to gi~e good leakage lmmunlty yet ~u~c~e~t air ~low; lt has a cross-sectlon-al area s~icient to allow air ~low at small pore size consistent w~th strength o~ materlal, ~t haæ a small th~c~ess consistent with strength to allow use of small pore ~ze without restrictlng air ~low, and ~ ~s enclosed by the casing 24 to prevent physical d~nage and contamlnatlon which would af~ect its hydrophoblc ~ropert-ies and hence lts leakage resistance.
An alternati~e embodiment ls lllustrated ln ~igure 5 lncludlng ~ ~ibrous reservoir 50 formed o~ for example cellulose acetate or polyethylene terephthalate located wlthln a metal casing 52. An extruded tlp 54 o~ polyacetal extends from the ~lb~ous reser~oir 50 and is supported wlth~n a central~bore 56 o~ a nib, holder 58 made o~ polyethylene. One end (rlght hand as sh~wn~ of the bore 56 is in communication with an::air gap sur~ounding the ~ibrous reservolr 50l and the other end oX the bore 56 is ln communicatlon with an alr hole 60 leadin~ to atmosphere.
A barrier 62 o~ Millipore Mltex LS (RTM) spans the air hole 60 and is heat sealed in a similar manner to that prevlously described to the nib holder 58 so that the central part of the barrler 62 allows air to pass ~reely therethrough in both dlrectlons but lnk ls prevented from escaping through and around the barrier ~2.
hs th~s embodiment has no collector, any low Yiscoslty ink displaced Yrom the ~ibrous reservolr 50, as a result o~ ~or exarnple lmpact or sudden accelerat~on, wlll enter and ~ll the bore 56, but will then be prevented from escaping by the barrier 62.
It wlll be appreclated that the alr hole 60, and thus the barrier 62, need not necessarlly be located in the position shown, but could be located at any pos~tlon such that i~ con~nunlcates w~th the a~r gap surroundlng -,-the flbrous reservolr 50.
Claims (21)
1, A writing instrument comprising an ink reservoir and an air hole, the air hole being spanned by a barrier formed as a porous non-absorbent ink repellent membrane of substantially uniform pore size non-porously sealed along its entire periphery to the wall of the hole, which barrier allows air to pass freely therethrough in both directions but prevents escape of ink therethrough and therearound.
2. A writing instrument according to claim 1, in which the barrier is formed of a hydrophobic fluorinated polymeric material.
3. A writing instrument according to claim 2, in which the barrier is formed of polytetrafluoroethylene.
4. A writing instrument according to claim 1, in which the pore radius of the barrier is not more than 10 µm.
5. A writing instrument according to claim 19 in which the wetting angle for ink on the barrier is not less than 100°.
6. A writing instrument according to claim 1, in which the thickness of the barrier is not more than 200 µm.
7, A writing instrument according to claim 1, in which the effective central area of the barrier is between 0.25 mm2 and 25 mm2.
8. A writing instrument according to claim 1, in which the surface tension and the viscosity of ink in the reservoir are respectively not less than 30 mN m-1 and not more than 10 cp.
9. A method of making a writing instrument comprising heat sealing the entire periphery of a barrier formed as a porous non-absorbent ink repellent membrane of substantially uniform pore size in such a manner that a central part of the barrier spans an air hole to allow air to pass freely therethrough in both directions but to prevent escape of ink from an ink reservoir with the peripheral part of the barrier being non-porously sealed to the wall of the hole.
10. A method according to claim 9, in which the act of applying heat causes a projecting sealing to melt and permeate the pores at the periphery of the barrier.
11. A method according to claim 10, in which the projecting seating is tapered, before the heating starts, and is thinner nearer the barrier.
12. A method according to claim 9, in which sealing pressure is applied during the heating.
13. A method according to claim 9, in which all other routes, except a writing tip, through which ink could escape from the reservoir are sealed.
14. A method according to claim 13, in which the sealing of the other ink escape routes involves the use of an adhesive.
15. A method according to claim 9, in which the barrier is formed of a fluorinated material.
16. A method according to claim 15, in which the barrier is formed of polytetrafluoroethylene.
17. A method according to claim 9, in which the pore radius of the barrier is not more than 10 µm.
18. A method according to claim 9, in which the wetting angle for ink on the barrier is not less than 100°.
19. A method according to claim 9, in which the thickness of the barrier is not more than 200 µm.
20. A method according to claim 9, in which the effective central area of the barrier is between 0.25 mm2 and 25 mm2.
21, A method according to claim 9, in which the surface tension and the viscosity of ink in the reser-voir are respectively not less than 30 mN m-1 and not more than 10 cp.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB8207675 | 1982-03-16 | ||
| GB8207675 | 1982-03-16 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1209093A true CA1209093A (en) | 1986-08-05 |
Family
ID=10529048
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000423484A Expired CA1209093A (en) | 1982-03-16 | 1983-03-14 | Writing instruments and their manufacture |
Country Status (7)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| US (1) | US4954002A (en) |
| JP (1) | JPS58179696A (en) |
| CA (1) | CA1209093A (en) |
| DE (1) | DE3309111A1 (en) |
| FR (1) | FR2528361B1 (en) |
| GB (1) | GB2118486B (en) |
| IT (1) | IT1161915B (en) |
Families Citing this family (25)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPS6145191U (en) * | 1984-08-29 | 1986-03-25 | パイロツトインキ株式会社 | writing implements |
| EP0210469A3 (en) * | 1985-08-02 | 1987-08-19 | Montblanc-Simplo GmbH | Ink writer |
| DE3703349A1 (en) * | 1986-04-28 | 1987-10-29 | Gore W L & Co Gmbh | INK CARTRIDGE WITH VENTILATION BODY |
| JP2517432Y2 (en) * | 1988-02-29 | 1996-11-20 | ぺんてる株式会社 | Writing instrument |
| DE3822985A1 (en) * | 1988-07-07 | 1990-01-11 | Geha Werke Gmbh | Ventilating device for an ink reservoir of a writing instrument, containing free ink |
| DE3910787C1 (en) * | 1989-04-04 | 1990-09-27 | Rotring-Werke Riepe Kg, 2000 Hamburg, De | |
| CA2011485A1 (en) * | 1989-06-29 | 1990-12-29 | Dustin E. Dunn | Hydrophobic venting of free liquid ink reservoir pen |
| WO1991004873A1 (en) * | 1989-09-29 | 1991-04-18 | Pentel Kabushiki Kaisha | Writing utensil |
| DE19926488B4 (en) * | 1999-06-10 | 2004-05-27 | Dataprint R. Kaufmann Gmbh | Device, especially a writing instrument |
| DE4135605A1 (en) * | 1991-10-29 | 1993-05-06 | Rotring-Werke Riepe Kg, 2000 Hamburg, De | WRITING OR DRAWING DEVICE |
| US6416242B1 (en) | 1993-11-12 | 2002-07-09 | Dataprint R. Kaufmann Gmbh | Efficient fluid dispensing utensil |
| US6322268B1 (en) | 1993-11-12 | 2001-11-27 | Avery Dennison Corporation | Efficient fluid dispensing utensil |
| FR2719806B1 (en) * | 1994-05-11 | 1996-08-02 | Conte | Writing article in liquid ink, in particular solvent-based. |
| DE19529865C2 (en) | 1995-08-14 | 2002-02-28 | Kaufmann R Dataprint | Device for applying liquids to a base by means of an application element |
| DE19614784C1 (en) * | 1996-04-04 | 1997-12-11 | Rotring Int Gmbh | Ink pen |
| US5906446A (en) * | 1996-10-22 | 1999-05-25 | Bic Corporation | Fillerless writing instrument |
| AU3053099A (en) * | 1998-03-26 | 1999-10-18 | Mitsubishi Pencil Kabushiki Kaisha | Writing implement equipped with ink reservoir |
| DE69932933T2 (en) * | 1998-05-01 | 2007-08-30 | Mitsubishi Pencil K.K. | WRITING INSTRUMENT |
| DE10057056A1 (en) * | 2000-11-17 | 2002-06-06 | Schmidt Feintechnik Gmbh | Writing and dosing device |
| JP2002192878A (en) * | 2000-12-26 | 2002-07-10 | Mitsubishi Pencil Co Ltd | Direct liquid type writing implement |
| US6457892B1 (en) | 2001-04-20 | 2002-10-01 | Avery Dennison Corporation | Writing instrument having a capillary hole through the container |
| US7011758B2 (en) * | 2002-02-11 | 2006-03-14 | The Board Of Trustees Of The University Of Illinois | Methods and systems for membrane testing |
| TWI285176B (en) * | 2004-12-13 | 2007-08-11 | Benq Corp | Method of sealing the nozzle |
| GB2477679A (en) | 2008-10-30 | 2011-08-10 | Porous Media Corp | Venting and filtration systems with gas permeable membrane |
| US20100272499A1 (en) * | 2009-04-23 | 2010-10-28 | Erik Wysocan | Environmentally friendly disposable pen |
Family Cites Families (21)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US511134A (en) * | 1893-12-19 | Fountain-pen | ||
| US27636A (en) * | 1860-03-27 | Improvement in harvesters | ||
| US2618239A (en) * | 1945-07-27 | 1952-11-18 | Parker Pen Co | Writing instrument |
| FR1047934A (en) * | 1950-08-03 | 1953-12-17 | Ballpoint pen | |
| FR1164399A (en) * | 1956-01-14 | 1958-10-08 | Schneider G M B H Geb | Mine for ballpoint pen |
| FR1352908A (en) * | 1963-01-03 | 1964-02-21 | Fagard A J & Cie | Anti-leak device for ballpoint pens |
| GB1053750A (en) * | 1963-05-21 | |||
| US3352622A (en) * | 1964-09-29 | 1967-11-14 | Schachter Friedrich | Ballpoint pens |
| JPS4312940Y1 (en) * | 1966-01-08 | 1968-06-03 | ||
| GB1191674A (en) * | 1966-08-05 | 1970-05-13 | Staedtler J S | Improvements in and relating to Writing Instruments |
| US3446564A (en) * | 1967-03-31 | 1969-05-27 | Dainihon Bungu Co Ltd | Ballpoint pen for water-soluble ink |
| GB1249232A (en) * | 1968-03-14 | 1971-10-13 | Gillette Co | Aqueous ink compositions for writing instruments |
| JPS4925517B1 (en) * | 1969-06-09 | 1974-07-01 | ||
| US3854907A (en) * | 1973-12-10 | 1974-12-17 | Millipore Corp | Vented filter holder |
| US3930969A (en) * | 1974-06-28 | 1976-01-06 | Cyprus Metallurgical Processes Corporation | Process for oxidizing metal sulfides to elemental sulfur using activated carbon |
| US3951555A (en) * | 1975-04-14 | 1976-04-20 | The Parker Pen Company | Modular writing pen |
| US4108559A (en) * | 1976-07-21 | 1978-08-22 | Dart Industries Inc. | Ball point pen back end closure |
| US4116646A (en) * | 1977-05-20 | 1978-09-26 | Millipore Corporation | Filter unit |
| US4203848A (en) * | 1977-05-25 | 1980-05-20 | Millipore Corporation | Processes of making a porous membrane material from polyvinylidene fluoride, and products |
| JPS5456527A (en) * | 1977-10-11 | 1979-05-07 | Toyo Boseki | Writing pen |
| JPS5464719A (en) * | 1977-11-01 | 1979-05-24 | Sumitomo Electric Ind Ltd | Tank |
-
1983
- 1983-03-14 CA CA000423484A patent/CA1209093A/en not_active Expired
- 1983-03-15 IT IT20069/83A patent/IT1161915B/en active
- 1983-03-15 DE DE19833309111 patent/DE3309111A1/en not_active Ceased
- 1983-03-15 GB GB08307028A patent/GB2118486B/en not_active Expired
- 1983-03-15 FR FR838304258A patent/FR2528361B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1983-03-16 JP JP58044025A patent/JPS58179696A/en active Pending
-
1985
- 1985-09-17 US US06/776,095 patent/US4954002A/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| FR2528361A1 (en) | 1983-12-16 |
| GB2118486A (en) | 1983-11-02 |
| US4954002A (en) | 1990-09-04 |
| GB2118486B (en) | 1985-09-11 |
| DE3309111A1 (en) | 1983-09-22 |
| IT8320069A1 (en) | 1984-09-15 |
| IT8320069A0 (en) | 1983-03-15 |
| JPS58179696A (en) | 1983-10-20 |
| FR2528361B1 (en) | 1990-06-08 |
| IT1161915B (en) | 1987-03-18 |
| GB8307028D0 (en) | 1983-04-20 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKEX | Expiry |