GB2322401A - A pocket held instrument - Google Patents

Abstract

A pocket held instrument, for example, a pen is provided with a clip 2 that can be reciprocated between a retracted and an extended position by rotating a knob 7 arranged above the clip. In its extended position, the clip 2 can also be pivoted to allow it to accommodate different thicknesses of pocket material. This is achieved by providing the clip with a slide member 4 which preferably is received between two opposed guide surfaces 5,6 within the instrument, one of which is moveable to accommodate the pivotal movement of the clip.

Description

A Pocket Held Instrument The present invention relates to a pocket held instrument having a clip for retaining the instrument in a pocket. Such an instrument may be a pen or other writing implement, but could equally comprise, for example, a "pencil" torch or the like.

The present invention seeks to provide a clip which is both aesthetic and which can easily accommodate different thicknesses of pocket material, and from a first aspect provides a pocket held instrument having a clip which is mounted for reciprocating movement between a retracted and an extended position and also for pivotal movement of the clip with respect to the instrument.

In this way, the clip may be retracted for cosmetic reasons when being used, but extended for clipping purposes. In the extended position, the pivotal mounting may accommodate a wide range of pocket material thicknesses. Furthermore when the instrument is being clipped to thin material, once the clip is positioned onto the material, it may be retracted so as more firmly to grip the material.

Preferably resilient means are provided to urge the clip member towards an unpivoted position and thus provide a pocket gripping force. Thus, the resilience" of the traditional clip may be provided by the clip member being rotatably displaced against a biasing force rather than the inherent flexibility of the clip member.

Preferably the clip member is slidably mounted for reciprocating movement, most preferably linearly. This will move the clip as a body parallel to a central axis of the instrument, which may be preferable from an aesthetic point of view.

Preferably the clip member is generally L-shaped, with one portion constituting the clip arm which is visible to the user, and the other forming a slide member. The slide member is preferably received between two guide surfaces within the instrument which guide the clip member as it reciprocates between its extended and retracted positions. Preferably one of the guide surfaces is a movable, spring-loaded guide surface which biases the slide member against the other guide surface which is fixed. This will permit the lower end of the clip arm, ie. the end of the clip arm furthest from the slide member, to be moved away from the instrument forcing the slide member portion of the clip to pivot about one edge. This pivoting action deflects the movable guide surface against its biasing force. The biasing force of the spring acts on the slide member to restore the clip back to its unpivoted position in which the slide member rests flat against the fixed guide surface. It is preferred for the movable guide surface to be arranged above the fixed guide surface, ie. when the instrument is suspended from a pocket, the movable guide surface will be uppermost, as this enables the components to be accommodated easily within the instrument whilst providing an overall aesthetically balanced appearance.

The biasing means may comprise a leaf spring but preferably comprises a coil spring, preferably one which is aligned with a central axis of rotation of the instrument. Other biasing means are also envisaged, for example, the movable guide surface may comprise a piston in a sealed chamber.

Alternatively, the movable guide surface may be provided as a resiliently deformable member such as a rubber block which will accommodate the pivotal movement of the clip.

The rotation of the clip about its pivot point may be arranged to be generally of the order of 15 or less, preferably less than 10'. Stops may be provided to limit the maximum amount of rotation.

The clip arm may be fully retractable into the instrument to produce an entirely flush surface, for aesthetic reasons. However, if the clip is retractable simply into contact with a surface of the instrument, then this may improve gripping, particularly when, as is preferred, a nub is provided at the end of the clip arm which is received within a depression in the instrument so as to pinch the fabric. Preferably, when the clip is in its extended, unpivoted position, the nub of the clip protrudes slightly into the depression, as this serves to centre the clip arm if, for example, machining tolerances allow some side to side movement.

The clip may be mounted to the body or a cap of the instrument. Generally speaking, for ball point pens, the clip would be mounted to the body, whilst for fountain pens, for example, the clip would be mounted to the cap. The term "instrument" used herein is intended to apply to both these possibilities.

Preferably the slide member of the clip does not extend all the way through to the other side of the instrument, although if it does, then the end of the slide member may provide an actuating surface which can be pushed to extend the clip from the instrument.

Preferably a separate actuating member is provided to extend and retract the clip, and this may comprise a rotatable knob or a slider. In the most preferred embodiment, the actuating member comprises a rotatable knob which forms the tip of the instrument body or the tip of the cap. This is achieved in one preferred embodiment by means of a cam coupled to an actuating knob, rotation of which acts to extend and retract the clip. For example, the cam may comprise an eccentric which acts on opposite sides of a slot in the slide member. If the eccentric comprises a cylinder which fits tightly within the slot then this has the advantage that it can reduce play. Preferably the eccentric is mounted on a spindle which is arranged centrally within the instrument, for example, aligned with a central axis of rotation of the instrument. If the eccentric is relatively flat, and hence small compared to the height of the slide member, then this makes rotation of the clip member easier, and this can be improved further with the provision of radiused edges on the eccentric.

The extension and retraction of a clip using an actuator arranged above the clip is a novel arrangement, so from a second aspect, the invention provides a pocket held instrument having an extensible and retractable clip wherein the clip is moved by a rotary actuator arranged above the clip.

This aspect provides advantages which are achieved independently of the pivotal action of the clip, such as providing a clip whose grip on thin fabrics can be tightened by retracting the clip using the rotary actuator. Preferably, for aesthetic reasons, the rotary actuator forms a portion of the outer surface of the instrument. The other preferred features of the mechanism discussed above in relation to the first aspect of the present invention are equally applicable to this second aspect. Thus, in a preferred arrangement, the present invention provides a pocket held instrument having a retractable clip, the clip comprising a slide member which is reciprocable between two guide surfaces and having an eccentric arranged within a slot in the slide member which acts to extend and retract the clip from the instrument, wherein the eccentric is operable by a rotary actuator arranged above the clip which constitutes a portion of the outer surface of the instrument.

Preferably the clip is "locked" in its retracted position in such a way that its grip on the fabric is maintained. In the above described embodiment, for example, this can be achieved by ensuring that there is sufficient friction between the parts, but this should not be 80 great as to make extension and retraction of the clip difficult when using the rotary actuator.

Other methods of locking the clip in its retracted position are also envisaged, for example latches and ratchets but these give rise to a less smooth operation.

In one preferred embodiment where the instrument is a ball point pen, preferably actuation of the clip is coupled with the extension and retraction of the pen point. Thus, the clip may be retracted when the ball point is extended and vice versa.

Certain preferred embodiments will now be described by example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a cross-sectional elevation showing a clip end of a ball point pen with the clip in the extended position; Figure 2 shows the pen of Figure 1 with the clip retracted; Figure 3 shows the pen of Figure 1 with the clip extended and pivoted; and Figure 4 is a cross-sectional elevation showing the clip extending and retracting assembly of Figure 1 as applied to a cap of a fountain pen.

Figure 1 illustrates a pen 1 having a clip 2 arranged at one end for slidable movement between an extended position (as shown) and a retracted position (as shown in Figure 2). The clip 2 is approximately Lshaped and comprises two parts, a clip arm 3 which extends substantially parallel to the outside surface of the pen 1 and a slide member 4 which can be reciprocated between upper and lower guide surfaces 5,6 within the pen 1. For ease of manufacture the clip arm 3 and slide member 4 may be manufactured separately and joined together, for example by a suitable solder.

Actuation of the clip 2 is achieved by rotating a knob 7 arranged at the tip of the pen 1 closest to the clip 2. Connected to the knob 7 is a spindle 8 which is aligned with the axis 9 of the pen 1. The spindle extends through an elongate slot 10 in the slide member 4 which has parallel sides 11 and curved ends 12. This elongate slot 10 may be rectangular if so desired. On the lower surface of the slide member 4 is provided a slot which has flat sides 13,14 that are spaced to accommodate a circular cam 15 which is eccentrically mounted on the spindle 8. Rotation of the cam 15 resulting from rotating knob 7 urges the surface of the cam 15 against one of the flat sides 13,14 to extend or retract the clip 2 as desired.

In order to accommodate pivotal movement of the clip 2, as shown in Figure 3, the lower guide surface 6 is fixed whilst the upper guide surface 5 is provided by a spring-loaded shoe 16. The shoe 16 is retained within a track 17 which allows movement parallel to the axis 9 of the pen 1. A coil spring 18, also aligned with the axis 9, is provided to urge the shoe 16 against the upper surface 19 of the slide member 4.

Pivotal movement of the clip in the direction of arrow A, in Figure 3, pivots the slide member 4 about edge 20 and drives the shoe against the force of the spring 18 back along track 17 towards knob 7. This generates a restoring force which urges the clip 2 back to its unpivoted position where the lower surface 21 of the slide member 4 is flat against the lower, fixed guide surface 6. Ease of rotation of the clip 2 may be improved by making the shoe 16 from a low friction plastics material and by providing radiused edges on the cam 15. The clip arm 3 may extend slightly at its shoulder so as to prevent the clip 2 from being pivoted when the clip 2 is in its retracted position.

To provide the clip 2 with adequate torsional stability (ie. to prevent twisting of the clip into and out of the plane of paper in Figure 3), the slot 22 in the pen 1 should be approximately equal to the width of the slide member 4 and the sides 11 of the elongate slot 10 in the slide member 4 should be spaced apart a distance approximately equal to the diameter of the spindle 8. Additional guide surfaces may be provided if necessary. However, some side to side movement of the clip arm, for example, up to 5 each side due to machining tolerances, can be advantageous in preventing the mechanism from feeling too stiff.

As shown in Figure 1, preferably when the clip 2 is in its fully extended position, a nub 23 slightly protrudes into a depression 24 located in the pen 1, as this ensures a good gripping action and can serve to centre the clip arm if there is some side to side movement. If the fabric of the pocket is thin or if extra gripping force is required to retain the pen 1 securely in the pocket, for example, when jogging, then the clip arm 3 may be retracted by rotating knob 7, thereby clamping the fabric between the clip arm 3 and the pen 1. If the clip arm 3 has a shoulder which abuts against the pen 1 in the clip's retracted position, then pivotal movement of the clip 2 will not be possible and the pen 1 will be effectively "locked" onto the fabric of the pocket. Friction within the mechanism should be such that it is easy to operate the clip arm 3 by rotating knob 7, yet will not allow the knob 7 to rotate if the clip arm 3 is pulled away from the pen 1 during normal usage.

In the case of a ball point pen, the spindle 8 can also be coupled to an additional axially aligned member 25 which extends and retracts the ball point (not shown) of the pen 1. Such mechanisms are already known in the art and so no further explanation is required herein.

To assemble the clip extending and retracting mechanism, the slide member 4 of the clip 2 is inserted through slot 22 in the pen 1, the spindle 8 is pushed through the elongate slot 10 in the slide member 4 until a flange 26 abuts against a shoulder 27, the shoe 16 and spring 18 are fitted over the end of the spindle 8 and a screw thread of the knob 7 engages a corresponding screw thread of the spindle 8 to hold the assembly together.

To facilitate tightening of the screw threads, a hollow or slot may be incorporated in the flange 26 which can be driven by a suitable torsion providing tool, for example, an allen key or a screwdriver.

Figure 4 shows the clip extending and retracting mechanism when applied to a cap of a fountain pen.

Thus there has been shown a novel mechanism for extending and retracting a clip of a pen or other instrument which is simple to manufacture and which can improve the ergonomics and aesthetics of the instrument.

Claims (18)

CLAIMS:

1. A pocket held instrument having a clip, comprising a clip arm and a slide member, which is mounted for reciprocating movement between a retracted and an extended position and also for pivotal movement of the clip with respect to the instrument.

2. An instrument as claimed in claim 1, wherein the slide member is received between two opposed guide surfaces within the instrument, one of which is movable to accommodate pivotal movement of the clip.

3. An instrument as claimed in claim 2, wherein the movable guide surface is arranged above the slide member of the clip.

4. An instrument as claimed in claim 2 or 3, wherein biasing means are provided to urge the movable guide surface towards the slide member.

5. An instrument as claimed in claim 4, wherein the movable guide surface is provided by a spring-loaded shoe.

6. An instrument as claimed in any preceding claim wherein a cam acts on the slide member to extend and retract the clip.

7. An instrument as claimed in claim 6, wherein the cam comprises an eccentrically mounted cylinder.

8. An instrument as claimed in claim 6 or 7, wherein the cam is mounted on a spindle aligned with a central axis of the instrument.

9. An instrument as claimed in claim 6, 7 or 8, wherein the cam has radiused edges.

10. An instrument as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein a rotary actuator is provided to extend and retract the clip.

11. A pocket held instrument having an extensible and retractable clip, wherein the clip is moved by a rotary actuator arranged above the clip.

12. An instrument as claimed in claim 10 or 11, wherein the rotary actuator constitutes a portion of the outer surface of the instrument at one end of the instrument.

13. An instrument as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the clip is lockable onto fabric held between the clip and the instrument.

14. An instrument as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the instrument is a writing implement.

15. An instrument as claimed in claim 14, wherein the clip is provided on the body of the writing implement.

16. An instrument as claimed in claim 14, wherein the clip is provided on a cap of the writing implement.

17. A ball point pen as substantially hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 to 3.

18. A fountain pen as substantially hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 4.