MECHANICAL PENCIL

• US 20100232863A1
• Filed: 10/15/2008
• Published: 09/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Pencil Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Pencil Company Limited
• Inventors: Nakayama, Kyo, Izawa, Hirotake, Kobayashi, Takeshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,806,615 B1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 401/81
• CPC Class Codes: B43K 21/003 with lead sections or lead cartridges
• CPC Class Codes: B43K 21/027 with sliding tubelike writing-core guide
• CPC Class Codes: B43K 21/16 with stepwise feed of writing-cores
• CPC Class Codes: B43K 21/22 Writing-cores gripping means, e.g. chucks
• CPC Class Codes: B43K 29/02 with rubbers

Abstract

A chuck (4) for grasping a writing lead and a rotor (6) arranged to be movable in a direction of rotation and an axial direction within a body cylinder (1) are provided. A rotational drive mechanism for the writing lead is formed such that first and second cam faces (6a) and (6b) are respectively formed at one end face and another end face of the rotor in the axial direction, and first and second fixed cam faces (13a) and (14a) are arranged on the body cylinder side to face the above-mentioned first and second cam faces respectively. A pipe end (7) for guiding the writing lead to interlock with retreat and forward movement of the writing lead while the writing proceeds is arranged to move in the same direction, in conjunction with retreat and forward movement of the above-mentioned chuck.

By this structure, a mechanical pencil is provided in which the above-mentioned writing lead is gradually rotated using the retreat and forward movement of the writing lead by way of writing pressure, and which can keep constant a protrusion length of the writing lead protruding from the pipe end when writing.

Claims

1. A mechanical pencil arranged to grasp and release a writing lead by reciprocation of a chuck provided in a body cylinder so as to inch said writing lead forward, in which said chuck is held within said body cylinder so as to be rotatable about an axis in a situation where the chuck grasps said writing lead, a rotational drive mechanism is provided where a rotor is retreated and moved forward by writing pressure of said writing lead through said chuck so that said rotor is rotationally driven, and rotational motion of said rotor is transmitted to said writing lead through said chuck, characterized in that

a pipe end for guiding said writing lead and arranged to project from a base at a front end portion of said body cylinder is arranged to interlock with the retreat and forward movement of said chuck so as to move in the same direction, and arranged such that relative movement in an axial direction may not be generated between said pipe end and said writing lead in conjunction with the retreat and forward movement of said chuck.

2. The mechanical pencil as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said pipe end is connected with said rotor through an intermediate member.

3. The mechanical pencil as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said pipe end is connected with said rotor not via an intermediate member.

4. The mechanical pencil as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that said rotor which constitutes said rotational drive mechanism is formed into the shape of a ring, first and second cam faces are respectively formed at one end face and another end face of the rotor in an axial direction, and first and second fixed cam faces are provided which are arranged on said body cylinder side so as to face said first and second cam faces, respectively,

said first cam face in the ring-shaped rotor is brought into abutment with and meshed with said first fixed cam face by retreat operation of said chuck by way of said writing pressure, and the second cam face in said ring-shaped rotor is brought into abutment with and meshed with said second fixed cam face by releasing said writing pressure, and

the second cam face on said rotor side and said second fixed cam face are arranged to have a half-phase shifted relationship with respect to one tooth of a cam in the axial direction in a situation where the first cam face on said rotor side is meshed with said first fixed cam face, and the first cam face on said rotor side and said first fixed cam face are arranged to have the half-phase shifted relationship with respect to one tooth of the cam in the axial direction in a situation where the second cam face on said rotor side is meshed with said second fixed cam face.

5. The mechanical pencil as claimed in claim 4, characterized by comprising a spring member for biasing the second cam face of said ring-shaped rotor into abutment with said second fixed cam face and bringing the second cam face and the second fixed cam face to mesh with each other in a situation where said writing pressure is released.

6. The mechanical pencil as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that a torque canceller which is formed cylindrically and generates a slide between itself and a rear end portion of said rotor is interposed between the rear end portion of said rotor and said spring member so as to prevent the rotational motion of said rotor from being transmitted to said spring member.