Abstract: A mechanical pencil incrementally rotates a lead by operation of a touch button. The pencil has a barrel in which is disposed a holder. A rotatable pipe having a writing mechanism assembly incorporated therein is attached rotatably to the holder. Around the periphery of the holder, a slide member is disposed to undergo forward and rearward movement, and the slide member is moved forward by pressing the touch button disposed on the barrel. The holder houses a sleeve which is moved forward by the slide member and which turns in a circumferential direction. A rotation-transmitting cam face is provided on each of a front end face of the sleeve and a rear end face of the rotatable pipe. By the forward movement of the sleeve, the cam faces are engaged with each other to incrementally rotate the rotatable pipe, whereby the lead is incrementally rotated.

Abstract: A mechanical pencil has a main body inserted into a tubular main body cover to undergo forward and rearward movement and rotational movement within the main body cover. The main body feeds a lead and holds the lead during writing. A gear mechanism incrementally rotates the main body based on the presence or absence of writing pressure occurring during writing to thereby incrementally rotate the lead. Protection collars are rotatably mounted on the outer periphery of the main body at locations where the main body is exposed from the main body cover. The protection collars rotatably idle on the main body to prevent a person from gripping and rotating the main body thereby preventing damage to the gear mechanism.

Abstract: A pressurizing-type pen has a compression cylinder fitted to a rear portion of a refill holder which holds an ink-containing refill. A return spring holder holding an elastic airtight member is inserted inside the refill holder. When the compression cylinder advances, the refill holder also advances and presses the airtight member to bring the inner face of the airtight member into close contact with the refill to close a vent path. When the compression cylinder further advances, the rear space of the refill is pressurized by a compression chamber provided within the compression cylinder. Then, following the advance movement of the compression cylinder, the airtight member and the return spring holder advance together with the refill holder and the refill, and the refill is thereby maintained at the writing position. The elastic member does not make sliding contact with the refill and therefore is not abraded.

Abstract: The present invention provides a direct liquid-writing instrument without ink leakage from the pen-tip even after a long period of use. Specifically, it provides a direct liquid-writing instrument having an ink-retaining part in a bellows-like shape, in which at least the ink-retaining part in a bellows-like shape is made of: 20 to 95% by mass of (A) a polyamide-based resin; and 80 to 5% by mass of (B) at least one resin selected from a styrene-based resin, an olefin-based resin, and a polyphenylene ether resin.

Abstract: A writing instrument has a writing refill slidably disposed in a tubular casing. A rotary cam mechanism extends and retracts the writing refill in response to knocking of a knocking member at a rear end of the casing. The rotary cam mechanism includes a cam cylinder inserted axially into the rear end of the casing, and projections on the cam cylinder engage with apertures in the casing to prevent axial movement of the cam cylinder inside the casing. Rotational movement of the knocking member rotates the cam cylinder and disengages the projections from the apertures, thereby permitting withdrawal of the cam cylinder from the casing and replenishment of the writing refill.

Abstract: A hand-held instrument has a variable contour grip, a main body having a grip-attaching portion, and a tubular grip body made of a resilient material and mounted around the grip-attaching portion of the main body for undergoing rotation relative thereto. Each of an outer circumferential surface of the grip-attaching portion and an inner circumferential surface of the grip body has a non-circular cross-sectional shape so that when the grip-attaching portion and the grip body are rotated relative to one another, the grip body undergoes deformation so that portions thereof or contracted and other portions thereof are expanded to thereby change an outer configuration or contour of the grip body.

Abstract: An automatic mechanical pencil has a tubular piece removably connected to a barrel cylinder, and a slider for frictionally holding a lead and being movably disposed in a front portion of the tubular piece. A lead chuck is disposed in the barrel cylinder for releasably holding the lead so as to allow forward movement of the lead but prevent backward movement thereof. A first spring urges the slider forward and the lead chuck backward so that when a writing front end of the writing instrument is released from a writing surface, the lead is automatically fed by urging the slider forward. A lead reservoir is disposed rearwardly of the lead chuck to supply the lead to the lead chuck. The lead reservoir has a reservoir main body, a pipe holder connected to a front end of the reservoir main body and having a guide projection, and a stopper disposed around an outer periphery of the pipe holder and having a receiving groove engageable with the guide projection.

Abstract: A writing instrument is capable of functioning both as an automatic mechanical pencil and as a shaking-type mechanical pencil. The writing instrument has a barrel cylinder constituted by a front cylinder detachably connected to a rear cylinder. A slider is disposed at the front end of the barrel cylinder, and a lead chuck, such as a ball chuck, is disposed rearwardly of the slider. A slider spring urges the slider forward and urges the lead chuck rearward. A lead reservoir is movably disposed rearwardly of the lead chuck. Around the outer periphery of the lead reservoir, a weight is disposed to undergo back-and-forth movement in an axial direction. On the outer periphery of the lead reservoir is disposed a weight-receiving cylinder against which the rear end of the weight abuts when the writing instrument is shaken. A knocking spring urges the weight-receiving cylinder forward and urges the lead reservoir rearward.

Abstract: A writing instrument has a tubular member having a longitudinal axis and an aperture at an end thereof. A writing component is mounted in the tubular member and has a writing tip at an end portion thereof. The tubular member and the writing component are movable relative to one another in an axial direction along the longitudinal axis of the tubular member between a writing position at which the writing tip protrudes from the aperture of the tubular member and a housed position at which the writing tip is disposed in the tubular member. An airtight sleeve is connected to the end portion of the writing component for movement between an advanced position and a retracted position. The airtight sleeve has a bore through which the end portion of the writing component passes during movement of the writing component between the writing position and the housed position.

Abstract: A side knocking-type writing instrument has a barrel having a longitudinal axis, a front end, and a rear end. A sliding member is disposed in the barrel for undergoing forward and rearward sliding movement along the longitudinal axis of the barrel. The sliding member has a shoulder comprised of a generally L-shaped side wall having a first wall portion extending along the longitudinal axis and a second wall portion extending transversely to the longitudinal axis. A knocking member undergoes pivotal movement in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of the barrel about a fulcrum point disposed at a rear portion of the knocking member. The knocking member has a pressing portion disposed at a front portion thereof. A linking pawl is disposed between the knocking member and the sliding member for undergoing pivotal movement therebetween and axial movement along the longitudinal axis.

Abstract: A mechanical pencil comprises a main body, a lead-feeding mechanism disposed in the main body for gripping a lead at a lead-gripping position and for feeding the lead to an advanced position, and a mouthpiece connected to the main body. A slider is slidably fitted in the mouthpiece. A lead-holding member is disposed in the slider for frictionally holding the lead fed to the advanced position. A slider-resisting member is disposed in contact with the slider for applying a frictional resistance to the slider larger than a frictional resistance of the lead-holding member.

Abstract: An automatic pencil for automatically dispensing a writing lead comprises a hollow, longitudinal main body for receiving therein lead, and a mouthpiece detachably connected at its rear end to a front end of the main body for projecting a top of the lead received in the main body from a front end of the mouthpiece. A slider is movably disposed in a front portion of the mouthpiece for frictionally holding therein the lead, the slider being manually, reciprocally moveable in the axial direction of the pencil in response to writing pressure applied thereto during use of the pencil. A chuck is mounted in a rear portion of the mouthpiece for releasably clamping the lead during use of the pencil such that the chuck operates in response to the reciprocating movement of the slider to allow advancing movement of the lead toward the front end of the mouthpiece and to prevent retracting movement of the lead.

Abstract: An interface converter for mutually converting between a first serial interface, such as RS-232-C interface, and a second serial interface, such as RS-422-A interface. The interface converter includes a second connector being connectable directly to a first connector attached to the first serial interface and a plurality of third connectors, each of which has a terminal arrangement matched to the second serial interface. The interface converter further includes a first receiving circuit for the first serial interface connected to the second connector, a first transmitting circuit for the second serial interface interconnecting the first receiving circuit with the third connectors, a second receiving circuit for the second serial interface connected to the third connectors, and a second transmitting circuit for the first serial interface interconnecting the second receiving circuit with the second connector.

Abstract: A method for stacking, on a mother board in high density, N printed circuit boards which are formed, respectively, in the same size and shape of a regular N-sided polygon, where N is an integer not less than three. The mother board is provided, at a position corresponding to one side of the regular N-sided polygon, with a first connector, and is provided, at 360/N-degree intervals around the center point of the regular N-sided polygon, with N second connectors for selecting the printed circuit boards. Terminals of a data bus line, and address bus line, and a timing signal line for reading/writing data are arranged in the first connector.

Abstract: Mechanical pencil in which a chuck assembly for gripping a lead is formed with plural chuck elements mutually combined with each other. The chuck assembly has an internal longitudinal hole to insert a lead through and a lead gripping portion to grip the lead, while a lead guide tube is movably inserted within the lead inserting hole. The lead guide tube pushes on acting portions of the chuck to open the gripping portions of the chuck elements in the direction of parting them from each other when the lead guide tube is advanced, and the lead gripping portion opens to release the lead. The chuck is designed to enable releasing and gripping the lead securely so that it can be suitably used as a chuck mechanism for extending the lead automatically.