Input pen

• US 6,707,451 B1
• Filed: 09/05/1997
• Issued: 03/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Pilot Corporation
• Original Assignee: Pilot Precision Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Nagaoka, Toshimasa
• Primary Examiner(s): Hjerpe, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, KIMNHUNG T
• Application Number:
  US08/924,681
• Time in Patent Office: 2,384 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173-179, 178/18.01, 178/18.03, 178/18.05, 178/19.01, 178/19.02, 178/19.03, 178/19.04, 178/19.05
• US Class Current: 345/179
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus

Abstract

A pen cylinder has at its front end a front input member made of a synthetic resin and at its rear end a rear input member made of a soft elastic material such as rubber. When performing an input operation onto a hard panel or an input operation of fine letters, an accurate input is achieved by using the front input member of synthetic resin provided on the front end of the pen cylinder. When performing input onto a soft panel or pointing input, an input free from damage to the panel is achieved by using the rear input member composed of soft elastic material.

Claims

1. An input pen for use in a pressure sensitive handwriting input unit, comprising:

a pen cylinder having a front end and a read end;

a front input member disposed on said front end of said pen cylinder and having an input portion used for input operations, said front input member being made of a synthetic resin; and

a rear input member disposed on said rear end of said pen cylinder and having an input portion used for input operations, said rear input member being made of an elastic material softer than said synthetic resin.

2. An input pen according to claim 1, wherein said input portion of the front input member has a tip for input, said tip being formed from a curved surface having a radius of curvature ranging from 0.5 mm to 1 mm inclusive.

3. An input pen according to claim 1, wherein said input portion of the rear input member has a tip for input, said tip being formed from a curved surface having a radius of curvature ranging from 1.5 mm to 4 mm inclusive.

4. An input pen according to claim 1, wherein

said rear input member is made of a rubber.

5. An input pen according to claim 4, wherein

said rubber is a fluorinated rubber.

6. An input pen according to claim 1, wherein

said front input member is fitted into a hole at the front end of said pen cylinder.

7. An input pen according to claim 6, wherein

a elastic member is interposed between said hole and said front input member.

8. An input pen according to claim 1, wherein

said rear input member is in the form of a cap, said rear input member being fitted onto the exterior of the rear end of said pen cylinder.

9. An input pen according to claim 8, wherein

said cap-like rear input member has a tip for input.

10. An input pen according to claim 8, wherein

said rear input member has an exterior with a protrusion which, when inserted into an input pen accommodating portion of a pressure sensitive handwriting input unit main body, comes into frictional contact with said input pen accommodating portion.

11. An input pen according to claim 10, wherein

said protrusion is a protrusion extending in the circumferential direction.

12. An input pen according to claim 8, wherein

said rear input member has a longitudinal raised portion for preventing unintentional rolling of said input pen.

13. An input pen according to claim 10, wherein

between the outer peripheral surface of said pen cylinder and said rear input member is provided a space at a position corresponding to said protrusion of the rear input member.

14. An input pen according to claim 1, wherein

said rear input member is made of a rubber, said rubber having a hardness of 50 or more by A-type hardness tester (JIS) and of 80 or less by C-type hardness tester (JIS).

15. An input pen according to claim 4, wherein

said rear input member is made of a diene series rubber.

16. An input pen according to claim 1, wherein

said rear input member is made of a thermoplastic elastomer.

17. An input pen according to claim 1, wherein

said pen cylinder has a first annular recess posterior to said front input member and a second annular recess at the position of said rear input member, said first annular recess being provided with a cylindrical holder, said cylindrical holder being made of the same soft elastic material as said rear input member, said cylindrical holder and said rear input member being simultaneously insert-molded in said first and second annular recesses, respectively.

18. An input pen according to claim 1, wherein

said pen cylinder includes therein a writing element, said writing element having a writing end projecting from the rear end of said pen cylinder, said rear input member being fitted onto the exterior of said rear end of said pen cylinder so as to cover said writing end.

19. An input pen according to claim 1, wherein said pen cylinder has a fixed length.

20. An input pen according to claim 19, wherein the front input member is directly attached to said pen cylinder at the front end of said pen cylinder and wherein the rear input member is directly attached to said pen cylinder at the rear end of said pen cylinder.

21. An input pen according to claim 1, wherein the front input member has a tip for input, said tip having a first radius of curvature, and the rear input member has a tip for input, said tip of the rear input member having a second radius of curvature which is greater than said first radius.