JP2001080274A - Coating tool - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a tip from drying even after being left for a long term in a writing utensil, in which the ink in an ink tank can be flown out in the surrounding space of the tip by pushing-in the pen point tip. SOLUTION: At this coating tool 1, the rear end side of a tip 5, a valve element 15 and a tank 3 are arranged in the interior of an outer tube 2 and spaces are provided between the rear end side of the tip and the outer tube 2 and between the tank 3 and the outer tube 2 so as to communicate both the spaces with each other. In a tail plug 7 mounted at the rear end of the outer tube 2, a tip drying preventive material 26 impregnated with the solvent of ink is provided. The drying preventive material 26 is exposed to a space between the tank 3 and the outer tube 2.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an applicator which can be used as a writing instrument or a cosmetic tool, and more particularly to an applicator having a coating liquid such as ink or cosmetic liquid contained in a cylindrical tank. It is.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, writing instruments such as fiber bundle pens and correction pens, and cosmetic tools such as nail polish applicators have been used.
2. Description of the Related Art There is known an applicator of a type in which an application liquid such as ink or cosmetic liquid is applied to a tip by pushing a pen tip tip into the tip. This kind of conventional applicator is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-78486. This conventional applicator includes a tank containing a coating liquid, a coating liquid circulation hole provided at the tip of the tank, and a valve body for opening and closing the coating liquid circulation hole. The valve body is urged to the distal end side by an urging member so as to close the coating liquid flow hole. A tip (coating member) is provided on the tip side of the tank, and the rear end of the tip is in contact with the valve body. When the tip retreats against the urging force of the urging member, the coating liquid flow hole is opened. When opened, the coating liquid is supplied around the rear end of the chip.

[0003] The coating liquid supplied around the rear end of the chip is absorbed by the chip and permeates toward the front end of the chip. The tip of the chip is pressed against paper, nails, or the like, so that the coating liquid can be applied.

[0004]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional applicator, if it is used once and then left for a long period of time, when not in use, the application liquid circulation hole closes and the application liquid in the tank flows out around the rear end of the chip. Therefore, there is a problem that the chips are dried. When the chips are dried, even if the chips are retracted during subsequent use to open the ink circulation holes and supply the coating liquid around the rear end of the chips, the coating liquid is hardly absorbed by the chips, resulting in excessive coating. The liquid may flow down around the chip, causing dripping.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to prevent a chip from drying when left for a long period of time in an applicator for supplying a coating liquid in a tank around the rear end of the chip by pushing the chip.

[0006]

According to the present invention, there is provided a tank containing a coating liquid, a coating liquid circulation hole provided at a tip portion of the tank, and a valve body for opening and closing the coating liquid circulation hole. The valve body is urged to the front end side by an urging member so as to close the coating liquid flow hole, and a tip is provided at the front end side of the tank, and the rear end of the tip is attached to the valve body. The above-described object is achieved by an applicator that is in contact with the application tool, and when the chip retreats against the urging force of the urging member, an application liquid circulation hole is opened and the application liquid is supplied around the rear end of the chip. To this end, the following technical measures were taken.

That is, in the applicator of the present invention, at least the rear end side of the chip, the valve body and the tank are disposed inside the outer body, and between the rear end side of the chip and the outer body,
Closed spaces are respectively formed between the tank and the outer body,
These two spaces are communicated with each other, and a chip drying prevention material is provided in a space between the tank and the outer body. In the present invention, the “closed space” is not limited to a completely closed state, and is a concept including a case where there is a gap to some extent with the outside air. The applicator includes a writing implement and a makeup implement. The coating liquid is
It may be water-based or oil-based, and an appropriate liquid depending on the use, such as ink, mascara, and nail polish, may be used. The tank is generally a bottomed cylinder with a closed rear end, and in this case, air is introduced into the tank from the coating liquid flow hole together with the supply of the coating liquid, and the coating liquid is replaced with air. The supply of the coating liquid is performed while being performed.

In the applicator of the present invention, when not in use, the valve body is urged forward by the urging member to close the coating liquid flow hole. Therefore, when not in use, the tank is sealed by the valve body, and there is no supply of the coating liquid. Prior to use, when the tip of the chip is pressed against paper or the like and pushed in, the rear end of the chip pushes up the valve body and opens the coating liquid circulation hole. Further, at the time of storage, the liquid contained in the chip drying prevention material evaporates due to the ambient temperature, and the air existing in the space inside the outer body approaches a saturated state. Drying is prevented.

Here, as the chip drying prevention material, it is preferable to use a material which holds a liquid which can be used as a solvent for a coating solution contained in a tank. For example, when the coating liquid is a water-based ink, a sponge or a highly water-absorbing polymer made to absorb water can be used as a chip drying prevention material. When the coating liquid is an oil-based ink, a sponge or other porous material containing an organic solvent such as alcohol, or a greased solvent can be used as a chip drying prevention material. In addition,
Even when a chip drying prevention material that has absorbed a liquid having a property different from the solvent of the coating liquid is used, the liquid in the prevention material evaporates and is dispersed in the space in the outer body, and is included in the air in the space. Since the number of gas molecules increases, there is an effect of suppressing the evaporation of the coating liquid contained in the chip.

In the applicator of the present invention, the tank and the outer main body are cylindrical, the rear end of the outer main body is closed, and the chip drying prevention material is provided at the rear end of the outer main body. You can be. Here, the rear end of the outer main body can be closed by a tail plug separate from the outer main body. In this case, the tail plug can be provided with a chip drying prevention material. According to this, the outer appearance of the product can be improved by using the double cylinder structure of the tank and the outer body. Furthermore, by providing a tip drying prevention material at the rear end of the outer body, it is possible to prevent the drying of the tip while compactly constructing the vicinity of the tip and the valve, which is convenient as a pen-type writing instrument and a makeup tool. The performance is improved. Also,
If the tail plug is provided with the anti-drying material, the anti-drying material can be easily filled.

Further, in the writing instrument of the present invention, a holding member for holding the tank is fitted in an axially intermediate portion inside the outer body, and the holding member is connected to the rear end side of the tip and the outer body. A communication hole may be formed to communicate the space between the tank and the space between the tank and the outer body. According to this, while the tank is stably supported by the outer body, the communication hole is formed in the holding member therefor, so that the solvent vaporized gas from the chip drying prevention material provided on the tank rear end side can be surrounded by the chip. Can be distributed in the space.

[0012]

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 illustrates a fiber bundle tip pen 1 as an embodiment of the applicator of the present invention. This applicator 1
Includes an outer cylinder 2 (outer body) serving as a pen body, an ink tank 3, a tip plug 4, a fiber bundle chip 5, a valve device 6, and a tail plug 7.

The outer cylinder 2 is a cylindrical member made of a resin such as polypropylene or a metal such as aluminum or stainless steel. The distal end side of the outer cylinder 2 is gradually thinned, and the portion of the distal end of the outer cylinder 2 having the smallest diameter is formed as a tip holding cylinder portion 8.
They are fitted without backlash and slidably back and forth.
Further, an outside air introduction hole can be formed in an appropriate portion of the outer cylinder 2. In the illustrated embodiment, a vertical groove 9 extending in the front-rear direction is formed on the inner surface of the tip holding cylinder portion 8, and urethane to be described later is formed. By providing a rib 10 for securing a gap between the foam 30 and the inner peripheral surface of the outer cylinder 2, an outer air introduction hole opened at the tip is formed. Holes can also be formed. A cap (not shown) can be detachably attached to the tip of the outer cylinder 2.

The ink tank 3 is a cylindrical body made of a resin such as polypropylene or a metal such as aluminum or stainless steel, and is disposed inside the outer cylinder 2.
The ink tank 3 is hollow so that the ink can be stored therein. The outer diameter of the ink tank 3 is smaller than the inner diameter of the outer cylinder 2, so that a space is formed between the ink tank 3 and the outer cylinder 2.

The tip plug 4 is made of the same material as the ink tank 3 and is disposed in the middle of the outer cylinder 2 in the axial direction. A valve mounting hole 11 penetrating in the axial direction is formed at the center of the shaft. Have been. The rear part 4a of the tip plug 4 is cylindrical and is fitted inside the tip of the tank 3. A large-diameter portion 4b protruding outward in the radial direction is provided at the front of the tip plug 4.
Is fitted inside the outer cylinder 2 and the outer cylinder 2
Is in contact with the stepped portion 2a provided on the inner peripheral surface from the rear.
Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the large diameter portion 4b has a slit 12 (communication hole) for communicating the space before and after the outer periphery of the tip plug 4.
Are formed in the circumferential direction.

The valve device 6 includes a support member 13, a valve seat member 1,
4, a valve body 15 and an urging member 16 are provided.

The support member 13 is a substantially cylindrical member or a frame member formed of a hard synthetic resin or the like.
The plug 4 is fitted into the valve mounting hole 11. Support member 1
A flange 17 projecting radially outward is formed at the distal end of 3, and the rear surface of the flange 17 is in contact with the distal end surface of the tip plug 4. Further, a hole 18 is provided at the rear end of the support member 13, and the hole 18 is opened in the tank 3. Note that an opening may be formed on the peripheral side of the support member 13.

The valve seat member 14 is a tubular member fitted in the support member 13 and has a valve seat 19 at the rear end.
The valve seat 19 has an ink circulation hole 20 formed at the center of the shaft. An outward flange 21 is formed at the distal end of the valve seat member 14, and the flange 21 is in contact with the distal end of the support member 13.

The valve body 15 has a conical closing portion 22 which can be seated on a valve seat 19, and the ink flowing hole 2
0 is closed. A shaft portion 23 is provided at the rear of the closing portion 22. The rear end of the shaft portion 23 is guided in the hole 18 at the rear end of the support member 13 so as to be movable in the axial direction. Further, a cylindrical shaft portion 24 is provided at a front portion of the closing portion 22.

Therefore, the valve seat member 14 is
And the closing portion 22 of the valve body 15 is arranged in a space between the rear end of the valve seat member 14 and the rear end of the support member 13. Further, the cylindrical shaft portion 24 on the distal end side of the valve body 15
Is disposed inside the valve seat member 14 and has a shaft portion 23 on the rear end side.
Is inserted through the opening 18 at the rear end of the support member 13,
The valve element 15 is axially movable in a space defined by the rear end of the valve seat member 14 and the rear end of the support member 13.

A compression coil spring 16 (biasing member) is coaxially mounted on the rear end shaft portion 23 of the valve body 15, and one end of the spring 16 is engaged with the front surface of the rear end of the support member 13. The other end is engaged with the rear surface of the closing portion 22 of the valve body 15. Therefore, the valve element 15 is constantly pressed by the valve seat 19 and closes the valve seat opening 20.

The chip 5 is made of a known resin or fiber and exudes ink by capillary action or the like. The chips 5 may be all formed of a single material, or may be formed by joining a resin chip and a relay member of a fiber bundle. Further, it may be a so-called brush pen type tip, or may be a tip constituted by a thin metal tube.

The tip of the tip 5 projects forward from the tip of the outer cylinder 2 so that characters and the like can be written. The tip of the tip 5 is connected to the valve element 15 of the valve device 6 described above.
Is in contact with

The tip 5 has a small-diameter shaft portion 5a on the distal end side.
And a large-diameter shaft portion 5b on the center side and a thin shaft portion 5c on the rear end side. The outer diameter of the large-diameter shaft portion 5b of the tip 5 is
Is smaller than the inner diameter of the outer cylinder 2 so that a space is formed between the rear end side of the chip 5 and the outer cylinder 2. The space around the rear part of the tip 5 is communicated with the space between the tank 3 and the outer cylinder 2 via the slit 12 of the tip plug 4 described above.

A cylindrical urethane foam 30 disposed inside the outer cylinder 2 is built in the rear of the chip holding cylinder 8. The urethane foam 30 has a function of absorbing excess ink supplied to the chip 5 and replenishing the chip 5 with ink from the urethane foam 30 when the ink of the chip 5 runs short. Furthermore, urethane foam 3
Numeral 0 is engaged with the step portion between the small diameter portion 5a and the large diameter portion 5b of the chip 5, and has the function of lightly urging the chip 5 rearward. The urging force of the urethane foam 16 is weaker than the urging force of the spring 16 described above, and has a function of preventing the valve 6 from opening when not in use and also suppressing rattling of the chip 5.

A tail plug 7 is fitted to the rear end of the outer cylinder 2. The tail plug 7 has a lid 7a and a cylinder 7b protruding forward from the lid 7a. The cylindrical portion 7 b has an outer diameter that just fits the outer cylinder 2 and is fitted to the outer cylinder 2. A tip drying prevention material 26 is built in the cylindrical portion 7b of the tail plug 7. The anti-drying material 26 is mainly composed of a porous member such as a sponge or a water-absorbing member such as a highly water-absorbing polymer, and the water-absorbing member contains water as a solvent of the water-based ink in the ink tank. Things. When the coating liquid contained in the tank is oily, a porous body such as a sponge containing an organic solvent such as alcohol or a gelled organic solvent can be used as the anti-drying material 26.

Next, the operation of the applicator 1 of the present embodiment will be described. When the applicator 1 of the present embodiment is not used,
Since the valve body 15 is pressed by the valve seat 19 by the spring 16 to close the ink flow hole 20, there is no supply of ink from the ink tank 3 to the chip 5.

At the time of writing, the valve element 15 moves backward by pushing the tip 5, and the ink flow hole 20 is moved.
Is opened, and the ink in the tank 3 flows out to the surrounding space behind the chip 5. This ink is absorbed from the rear part of the chip 5 and the ink absorbed by the chip oozes out to the front end side by capillary action or the like, so that it is possible to write on paper or the like.

Further, according to the above-mentioned applicator 1, the water contained in the chip drying prevention material 26 evaporates due to the ambient temperature and diverges into the space between the outer cylinder 2 and the ink tank 3. Since this space communicates with the space between the rear part of the chip 5 and the outer cylinder 2 through the slit 12 of the plug 4, the space around the rear part 5 b of the chip is filled with water vapor emanating from the drying prevention material 26. A certain vapor pressure is maintained. Therefore, evaporation of the solvent of the ink contained in the chip 5 is suppressed, and drying of the chip 5 is prevented.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and the design can be changed as appropriate. For example, the ink tank and the plug portion can be integrally formed, and the valve can be provided directly at the tip of the ink tank. Also,
The tank and outer body are not limited to cylindrical members,
Various shapes can be adopted.

[0032]

In the applicator of the present invention, when not in use, the valve element is urged by the urging member so as to close the coating liquid flow hole, so that there is no supply of the coating liquid such as ink, and the tip is not used. When the valve is pushed in, the valve body is pushed up to open the coating liquid circulation hole, and can be discharged into the space around the coating liquid chip in the tank. Furthermore, in the applicator of the present invention, since the chip drying preventing material is provided in the internal space of the outer body of the applicator, it is possible to prevent the chips located in the outer body from drying. Therefore, it is possible to withstand storage for a long period of time, and it is unlikely that fray is generated even at the time of the first writing after storage, and the coating liquid flowing out from the coating liquid circulation hole is smoothly absorbed by the chip. become,
Since dripping is also eliminated, it is possible to perform beautiful writing.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall longitudinal sectional view of an applicator according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Coating tool 2 Outer cylinder (outer body) 3 Ink tank (tank) 4 Tip plug 5 Tip 6 Valve device 12 Slit (communication hole) 15 Valve body 16 Spring (biasing member) 20 Ink circulation hole (Coating fluid circulation hole)

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A tank having a coating liquid therein, a coating liquid circulation hole provided at a tip of the tank, and a valve body for opening and closing the coating liquid circulation hole. The tip is urged to close the coating solution flow hole by the tip side, a tip is provided at the tip side of the tank, and the rear end of the tip is in contact with the valve body, the tip When the application tool is retracted against the urging force of the urging member, the application liquid circulation hole is opened and the application liquid is supplied around the rear end of the chip.At least the rear end side of the chip, the valve body and the tank are It is disposed inside the outer body, and between the rear end side of the chip and the outer body, and between the tank and the outer body, closed spaces are respectively formed, and these two spaces are communicated, Chip drying prevention material is provided in the space between the tank and the outer body Applicator which is characterized. 2. The applicator according to claim 1, wherein the chip drying prevention material holds a liquid that can be used as a solvent for the coating liquid contained in the tank. 3. The tank and the outer body are cylindrical, the rear end of the outer body is closed, and the chip drying prevention material is provided at the rear end of the outer body. The applicator according to claim 1. 4. The tank and the outer body are cylindrical, and a tail plug is fitted into a rear end of the outer body, and the tail plug holds a chip drying prevention material. 1
Or the applicator according to 2. 5. A holding member for holding the tank is fitted in an intermediate portion in the axial direction inside the outer body.
5. The applicator according to claim 3, wherein a communication hole that connects a space between the rear end side of the chip and the outer body and a space between the tank and the outer body is formed. 6. .