Abstract: A ball point pen wherein the ball is held in the front end of a tubular metallic holder. The inner side of the holder is coated with a molded plastic lining which defines a centrally located ink supply channel extending all the way to the ball, one or more axially parallel groove-like capillary channels which communicate with the channel and also extend all the way to the ball, and a seat which is engaged by the confined portion of the peripheral surface of the ball when the pen is in used. The external surface of the holder is partially coated with a jacket which is a snug fit in the front end portion of the housing of the ball point pen and is integrally connected with the lining at one or more points. The lining and the holder, as well as the holder and the jacket, have complementary annular profiles to fix the holder in a desired axial position as soon as the material of the jacket and lining sets.

Abstract: A writing implement for use in numerically controlled drafting machines has a tip with a front end face which is maintained at a distance of a fraction of one millimeter from the surface of a sheet of paper or another carrier of information by a portion of a ball which is rotatably mounted in a socket extending rearwardly from the front end face so that the surface of the carrier and the front end face define a capillary gap. This gap draws ink from the socket which receives ink from a channel extending into a reservoir in the housing of the implement. The channel contains several rib-shaped back supports each of which is in mere point contact with the adjacent confined major portion of the ball in the socket so as to center the ball in the socket whereby the confined major portion of the ball and the surface surrounding the socket define a capillary clearance, and to provide paths for the flow of ink from the channel into the socket.