GB2553811A

GB2553811A - Writing instrument

Info

Publication number: GB2553811A
Application number: GB1615695.2A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Cornell Revell
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2016-09-15
Filing date: 2016-09-15
Publication date: 2018-03-21
Also published as: GB201615695D0

Abstract

A writing instrument 1 comprises a body 2. The body includes: a base, a hand grip, at least one wall 6 having a mount for a marking element located therein and a marking element situated in and extending from the mount. The base and the end 7 of the marking element distal from the mount lie in a substantially common plane, and the mount for the marking element has a longitudinal axis which extends at an angle of between 40 and 60 degrees to the common plane.

Description

(71) Applicant(s):

Revell Cornell

Carrick Drive, BLYTH, NE24 3SX, United Kingdom (72) Inventor(s):

Revell Cornell (74) Agent and/or Address for Service:

Hargreaves Elsworth

Northumberland Square, North Shields,

Tyne & Wear, NE30 1PW, United Kingdom (51) INT CL:

B43K 23/004 (2006.01) B43L 15/00 (2006.01) (56) Documents Cited:

US 5383737 A US 4917517 A

US 4095906 A US 20080217507 A1

US 20070020021 A1 (58) Field of Search:

INT CL B43K, B43L

Other: WPI, EPODOC, Internet (54) Title of the Invention: Writing instrument

Abstract Title: Writing instrument for disabled or arthritic users (57) A writing instrument 1 comprises a body 2. The body includes: a base, a hand grip, at least one wall 6 having a mount for a marking element located therein and a marking element situated in and extending from the mount. The base and the end 7 of the marking element distal from the mount lie in a substantially common plane, and the mount for the marking element has a longitudinal axis which extends at an angle of between 40 and 60 degrees to the common plane.

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Writing Instrument

Field of the Invention

According to the invention there is provided a writing instrument and in particular a writing instrument for individuals who find holding a standard writing instrument difficult.

Background of the Invention

Writing instruments such as pens and pencils are common everyday objects. Typically a writing instrument is elongate with a nib or point at one end thereof. By engaging the nib or point with a suitable substrate, such as paper, a mark is made on the paper. In the case of a pen, ink is dispensed via the nib, whereas with a pencil graphite is rubbed from the point.

The most common way of holding a writing instrument involves gripping the elongate body towards the nib or point end thereof between the thumb, index and middle fingers. The writing instrument may then be used to write on a suitable substrate.

Many individuals find gripping with the fingers difficult due to weakness of muscles or degenerative diseases such as arthritis. The difficulty is perceived as one of gripping the relatively thin elongate body presented by writing instruments.

The solutions proposed in the prior art involve making the writing instrument easier to grip by increasing its size, for example some individuals with poor grip may find a writing instrument with a wider body easier to grip. Such wide bodied pens are available as are adaptors which slide over an everyday pen or pencil. The adaptor presents a wider body for gripping.

Another adapter provides a hole through which the first finger is passed. Yet another alternative, known as the “Writing Bird Arthritis Pen” provides a body that is gripped in the palm of the hand. The body has a hole in one end for receiving a pen or pencil.

Another style of pen, is described in United States patent 5,785,443. The pen described therein differs from other prior art solutions in that it is a pen as opposed to an adapter for a pen. The pen body is narrow, a similar width to an everyday pen or pencil. However, the body is not elongate. Instead the sufficiently short to fit within the clasped fingers of the user, under the first finger and between the thumb and middle finger of the user as shown in Figure 2 of US 5,785,443. Figure 4 of US 5,785443 shows the pen in use. It can be seen that the pen nib presents an angle to the horizontal surface being written on of approximately 75 degrees. Such an angle is similar to the angle of the nib presented to a surface when a standard writing instrument with an elongate and narrow body is used by a person who does not have grip problems.

Whilst the pen described in US 5,785,443 may, for a person with a grip problem, provide some advantages over a standard writing instrument, the pen also has a number of disadvantages.

For example, whilst the pen replicates the standard manner of holding a writing instrument in terms of the sideway forces provided by the thumb and middle finger and to an extent the downward force exerted by the tip of the first finger, the underside of the pen is supported by the thumb and ring finger as shown in Figure 4 of US 5,785,443. The lack of length of the pen body together with the manner in which the pen is gripped mean that the hand must be relatively closed in order to use the pen. The closing of the hand can be difficult for individuals with a grip problem. Also, whilst the angle presented by the nib to the writing surface replicates substantially the angle presented by the nib of a standard writing instrument, because of the relationship between the nib and the body and the gripping of the body by the first finger, the nib cannot easily be seen and therefore the writer does not have a good view of what is being written.

It would therefore be desirable to provide an improved writing instrument, particularly one useful for individuals who have difficulty gripping objects.

Summary of the Invention

According to the invention there is provided a writing instrument comprising a body, which body includes: a base; a hand grip; at least one wall having a mount for a marking element located therein; a marking element situated in and extending from the mount; and wherein the base and the end of the marking element distal from the mount lie in a substantially common plane, and wherein the mount for the marking element has a longitudinal axis and wherein said longitudinal axis extends at an angle of between 40 and 60 degrees to the common plane.

Advantageously, the said longitudinal axis extends at an angle of between 45 and 55 degrees to the common plane, and more advantageously, at an angle of between 48 and 52 degrees and still more advantageously, between 49 and 51 degrees and still more advantageously at substantially 50 degrees.

Preferably, the base comprises an edge that extends around at least a major part of the periphery of the body. The base may comprise an edge extending around the whole periphery of the body.

Advantageously, the body comprises one or more walls extending around at least a major part of the periphery of the body and preferably around the whole periphery of the body.

The one or more walls may comprise a front wall in which the mount for the marking element is located and two side walls extending away from the front wall.

Advantageously, the distance between the side walls is smaller proximate the wall having the mount for a marking element located therein than the distance between the side walls distal from the wall having the mount for a marking element located therein. That is the walls may taper from the front of the instrument to the back. The side walls may lie in a vertical plane or at an angle to the vertical, for example between greater than 0 degrees and 30 degrees to one or other side of a vertical axis. Alternatively, the side walls may be substantially parallel. The said side walls may also comprise a part of the hand grip.

The one or more walls may include a rear wall, which rear wall may include a marking element receiving member. The marking element is typically a part of a ball point pen that would be referred to as the refill. A refill includes an ink supply which is typically an elongate tube.

Where the marking element is as described in the preceding sentences, the body includes a marking element receiving member, typically in a rear wall of the body. When assembled, the free end of the marking element refill rests in the marking element receiving member.

Preferably, the hand grip includes an upper part of the body, which upper part is curved.

The upper part of the body which includes the hand grip may extend beyond the side walls.

The marking element may be a roller ball pen nib. The mount may be so shaped and dimensioned that the roller ball nib is a push fit in the mount. For example, the mount may be tubular, preferably with a circular cross-section. The mount may include two sections, each of a different diameter with the intersection between the two sections forming a stop to limit the movement of the marking element inserted into the mount.

The body may include a rear wall. The rear wall may include a marking element refill receiving member, which may be a tube or hollow boss. Where the marking element refill receiving member does not have a blind end a separate stop may be provided.

Preferably, the mount and the refill receiving element lie on a common axis that is perpendicular to the common plane.

Brief Description of the Drawings

In the Drawings, which illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention, and are by way of example:

Figure 1 is a schematic representation of a writing instrument;

Figure 2 is a cross section of the writing instrument shown in Figure 1 on the axis A-A;

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the writing instrument shown in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a bottom plan view of the writing instrument shown in Figure 1; and

Figure 5 is a schematic representation of the writing instrument shown in Figure 1 from the underside.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments

Referring now to Figure 1, there is shown a writing instrument 1 comprising a body 2 which is moulded from plastic in this embodiment. The body provides an upper part 3 which presents a surface that is curved both longitudinally and laterally, that is the upper part 3 would form part of a sphere if the curvature thereof were continued.

A rear part of the body 2 is formed by a wall 5, with the front part of the body being formed by a wall 6. The walls 5, 6 are both formed by a continuation of the longitudinal curve of the upper part 3 of the body 2.

Side walls 4, which are planar and lie at a small angle to the longitudinal axis of the body 2, extend between the respective side edges of the walls 5, 6 tapering inwards from the rear wall 5 to the front wall 6, that is the distance between the side walls 4 is greater proximate the rear wall 5 than it is proximate the front wall 6. The walls 4, 5 and 6 each have a lower edge lying in a common plane, the edges 4’, 5’, 6’ forming a peripheral surface, which in use, rests on a surface to be marked by the writing instrument.

The front wall 6 includes a nib holder 6a, which comprises a hollow tube that sits in and extends through the wall 6. The tube 6a has an internal diameter selected to so that it may hold a pen nib 7, such as a roller ball nib. In the illustrated embodiment the nib 7 and tube 6a are formed so that the nib 7 is a push fit into the tube 6a. However, other pen nibs 7 may required an alternative fitting technique, for example the pen nib 7 may be threaded externally and the tube 6a may be threaded internally.

The rear wall 5 also mounts a tube 5a, the tube 5a having an internal diameter selected to receive an ink storage component that is connected at one end to the back of the pen nib 7.

Figure 2 shows writing instrument 1 in cross section. It can be seen from this drawing that the end 7a of the nib 7, which in this embodiment is formed by a rolling ball, lies in the same plane as the peripheral surface formed by the edges 4’, 5’ 6’ of the walls 4-6 of the body 2. Hence, when the writing instrument is held in the hand and moved across a flat surface, such as the surface of a piece of paper 10 resting on a desk for instance, movement of the instrument relative to the surface causes the rolling ball of the nib 7 to engage with the paper and deposit ink on to the said surface. The weight of the instrument itself may be sufficient to cause the rolling ball of the nib to rotate and hence deposit ink. Alternatively, the lightest of pressure exerted by the hand of a user on the writing instrument will be sufficient to cause the ball to rotate.

In the illustrated embodiment, the longitudinal axis of the tube 6a and hence the pen nib 7 lies at 50 degrees to the plane occupied by the edges 4’, 5’ and 6’. Hence, when the writing instrument is in use, the pen nib 7 lies at an angle of 50 degrees to the surface of the paper 10.

The angle of 50 degrees is preferred because this is the best compromise between the rolling ball of the pen nib 7 being able to deposit ink on to the surface of the paper 10 and the user being able to see the end of the nib during writing (or otherwise marking the paper with the writing instrument)

If the angle falls too far below 50 degrees the ball cannot deposit ink onto the paper reliably. If the angle is too far above 50 degrees the user cannot see the end of the nib 7 in use.

Claims

1. A writing instrument comprising a body, which body includes: a base; a hand grip; at least one wall having a mount for a marking element located therein; a marking element situated in and extending from the mount; and wherein the base and the end of the marking element distal from the mount lie in a substantially common plane, and wherein the mount for the marking element has a longitudinal axis and wherein said longitudinal axis extends at an angle of between 40 and 60 degrees to the common plane.

2. A writing instrument according to Claim 1, wherein the said longitudinal axis extends at an angle of between 45 and 55 degrees to the common plane.

3. A writing instrument according to Claim 2, wherein the said longitudinal axis extends at an angle of between 48 and 52 degrees.

4. A writing instrument according to Claim 3, wherein the said longitudinal axis extends at an angle of between 49 and 51 degrees.

5. A writing instrument according to Claim 3, wherein the said longitudinal axis extends at an angle of substantially 50 degrees.

6. A writing instrument according to any preceding claim, wherein the base comprises an edge that extends around at least a major part of the periphery of the body.

7. A writing instrument according to Claim 6, wherein the base comprises an edge extending around the whole periphery of the body.

8. A writing instrument according to any preceding claim, wherein the body comprises one or more walls extending around at least a major part of the periphery of the body.

9. A writing instrument according to Claim 8, wherein the body comprises one or more walls extending around the whole periphery of the body.

10. A writing instrument according to any preceding claim, wherein the one or more walls comprise a front wall in which the mount for the marking element is located and two side walls extending away from the front wall.

11. A writing instrument according to Claim 10, wherein the distance between the side walls is smaller proximate the wall having the mount for a marking element located therein than the distance between the side walls distal from the wall having the mount for a marking element located therein.

12. A writing instrument according to Claim 10 or 11, wherein the said side walls comprise a part of the hand grip.

13. A writing instrument according to any preceding claim, wherein the one or more walls include a rear wall.

14. A writing instrument according to Claim 13, wherein the rear wall includes a marking element refill receiving member.

15. A writing instrument according to any preceding claim, wherein the hand grip includes an upper part of the body, which upper part is curved.

16. A writing instrument according to Claim 15, wherein the upper part of the body which includes the hand grip extends beyond the side walls.

17. A writing instrument according to any preceding claim, wherein the marking element is a roller ball pen nib.

18. A writing instrument according to Claim 17, wherein the mount is so shaped and dimensioned that the roller ball nib is a push fit in the mount.

19. A writing instrument according to any preceding clam, wherein the mount includes two sections, each of a different diameter with the intersection between the two sections forming a stop to limit the movement of the marking element inserted into the mount.

20. A writing instrument substantially as shown in and as described with reference to the drawings.

Intellectual

Property

Office

Application No: Claims searched:

GB1615695.2

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