Multifunction pen

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11221686-B2
Application number	US-201816766907-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 24, 2018
Priority date	Nov 28, 2017
Publication date	Jan 11, 2022
Grant date	Jan 11, 2022

Abstract

A multifunction pen includes plural refills including an electromagnetic induction touch pen. A knock operation to one of knock rods each of which is connected to a rear end of each of the plural refills causes a tip of one refill of the plural refills to move from a standby position in which the tip stays inside a shaft tube to an in-use position in which the tip projects from a tip end opening of the shaft tube. At least one refill from writing refills other than the electromagnetic induction touch pen is provided with a metal writing tip, and a tip of the electromagnetic induction touch pen at the in-use position is separated from the tips of the writing refills at the standby position by a distance such that electromagnetic induction by the electromagnetic induction touch pen is not affected by the tips of the writing refills.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A multifunction pen comprising:
a plurality of refills provided inside a shaft tube, the plurality of refills including a refill configured by an electromagnetic induction touch pen and at least one writing refill which is a refill other than the refill configured by the electromagnetic induction touch pen; and
knock rods each of which is connected to a rear end of each of the plurality of refills such that a forward knock operation to one of the knock rods causes a tip of one refill of the plurality of refills to move from a standby position in which the tip stays inside the shaft tube, to an in-use position in which the tip projects from a tip end opening of the shaft tube;
wherein:
the at least one writing refill is provided with a metal writing tip;
the shaft tube includes guide rails along which the knock rods slide in an axial direction accompanying the knock operation;
a guide rail along which a knock rod of the electromagnetic induction touch pen slides is shorter than a guide rail along which a knock rod of the writing refill slides; and
a tip of the electromagnetic induction touch pen in the in-use position is separated from the tip of the at least one writing refill in the standby position by a distance such that electromagnetic induction by the electromagnetic induction touch pen is not affected by the tip of the writing refill.

2. The multifunction pen of claim 1 , wherein:
each of the knock rods includes
a sliding face configured to slide against a guide rail,
a knock projection projecting outward from the sliding face and extending further rearward than a rear end of the sliding face,
a rear end anchor portion configured by a step between the rear end of the sliding face and the knock projection, and configured to anchor to a front end of the guide rail when the corresponding refill is at the in-use position,
a rear end release cam projecting toward an axial center from a vicinity of the rear end of the sliding face and positioned further forward than the front end of the guide rail when the corresponding refill as at the in-use position, and
a front end release cam projecting toward the axial center from the sliding face further forward than the rear end release cam, and configured to abut a rear end release cam of a knock rod corresponding to another refill already at the in-use position as the corresponding refill moves from the standby position to the in-use position;

a position of a front end of a front end release cam of the knock rod corresponding to the electromagnetic induction touch pen at the standby position is substantially aligned with a position of a front end of the guide rail corresponding to the writing refill;
a position of a front end of a front end release cam of the knock rod corresponding to the writing refill at the standby position is substantially aligned with a position of a front end of the guide rail corresponding to the electromagnetic induction touch pen; and
the tip of the electromagnetic induction touch pen at the standby position is positioned further toward a front end than a tip of the writing refill also at the standby position.

3. The multifunction pen of claim 2 , wherein:
the guide rails are provided in a substantially tube shaped guide tube housed inside the shaft tube, and are formed as steps set back toward the axial center from a surface of the shaft tube at both inner sides of guide holes configured by elongated holes running along the axial direction;
guide grooves are provided running along the axial direction between the respective guide rails; and
the rear end release cams and the front end release cams are inserted through a corresponding guide groove so as to be capable of moving along the axial direction.

4. The multifunction pen of claim 2 , wherein a knock projection of the knock rod connected to the electromagnetic induction touch pen has a different shape from a shape of a knock projection of the knock rod connected to the writing refill.

5. The multifunction pen of claim 1 , wherein:
the writing refill includes a thermochromic core refill provided with a thermochromic core; and
a friction body is provided at a rear end of the shaft tube for erasing a line drawn using the thermochromic core.

6. The multifunction of claim 1 , wherein:
in a standby position of the multifunction pen, both the tip of the electromagnetic induction touch pen and the tip of the at least one writing refill stay inside the shaft tube, the tip of the electromagnetic induction touch pen being positioned closer to the tip end opening of the shaft tube than the tip of the at least one writing refill.

7. The multifunction pen of claim 6 , wherein:
a first knock rod connected to the electromagnetic induction touch pen comprises a first rear end release cam and a first front end release cam, the first front end release cam being positioned further forward than the first rear end release cam,
a second knock rod connected to the at least one writing refill comprises a second rear end release cam and a second front end release cam, the second front end release cam being positioned further forward than the second rear end release cam, and
in the standby position of the multifunction pen, a front end of the first front end release cam is positioned closer to the tip end opening of the shaft tube than a front end of the second front end release cam.

8. The multifunction pen of claim 7 , wherein:
the front end of the first front end release cam is separated from a rear end of the first rear end release cam by a first distance,
the front end of the second front end release cam is separated from a rear end of the second rear end release cam by a second distance, and
the second distance is shorter than the first distance.

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Pencil Co

Inventors

• Nakayama Kyo
• Ushiku Shinichi
• Nishida Tsuyoshi
• Sakagami Masashi
• Okabe Satoru
• Koizumi Yusuke

Classifications

• G06F3/046

  by electromagnetic means · CPC title

• B43K24/12

  operating by means sliding in longitudinally-slotted casings · CPC title

• B43K29/08

  with measuring, computing or indicating devices · CPC title

• G06F3/03545 Primary

  Pens or stylus · CPC title

• B43K24/163

  with one push-button for each writing unit · CPC title