The invention is directed to a paint pen having a squeezable paint reservoir, a flexible and resilient tube connected at one end to the reservoir and at the other end to a tip comprising an absorbent and permeable material (relative to the paint in the reservoir). The pen operates by squeezing the tube to provide paint through the tube to the tip at which point it can be applied to a surface. The flexibility and resilience of the tube enables uniform application of the paint to rough surfaces.

A paint pen having a squeezable paint reservoir, a flexible and resilient tube connected at one end to the reservoir and at the other end to a tip comprising an absorbent and permeable material (relative to the paint in the reservoir) is disclosed. The pen operates by squeezing the tube to provide paint through the tube to the tip at which point it can be applied to a surface. The flexibility and resilience of the tube enables uniform application of the paint to rough surfaces.

A ballpoint pen tip comprises: a ball having a diameter of 0.5 mm or less; and a tip body, wherein the tip body has a ball holding chamber, a rear hole, an ink flow hole, and an ink flow groove opening to the ball holding chamber, and not reaching the rear hole. A ratio of an ink consumption per 100 m of handwriting to a diameter of the ball is 200 mg/mm or more and 800 mg/mm or less, and when a front end of the ink flow groove is set as a start point and a position of 0.3 mm rearward from the front end of the ink flow hole is set as an end point, a volume of a first space in the ink flow hole and the ink flow groove from the start point to the end point is 0.02 mm.sup.3 or more.

A material deposition system and method is disclosed for depositing material onto raised features on a surface of a substrate. The material deposition system and method are a contact deposition or printing system and method, which employs biased rollerball to deposit the material as it travels along the substrate and over the raised features.

A writing instrument configured to apply a writing material or liquid to a surface, comprising a socket, and a ball arranged in the socket, characterized by at least one first component which is arranged to come into contact with the ball, wherein the at least one first component comprises a first material having surface properties such that the friction coefficient between the ball and the at least one first component decreases when the force acting from the ball on the at least one first component increases at least within a certain range of forces.

To make it possible to easily change a writing line width. A ballpoint pen chip that brings a front half part side of a transfer ball into contact with an inward annular protrusion on a front end side in a chip body from a backward side of the inward annular protrusion and receives a rear half part side of the transfer ball with a front end part of a receiving member. The receiving member includes, on a front end side thereof, a reduction part gradually reduced in a cross-sectional area forward. A front-most end part of the reduction part is disposed backward from the transfer ball. A portion of the receiving member further on a rear side than the reduction part is unretreatably fixed to the chip body and configured to elastically contract when a pressing force is received from the transfer ball.

A material deposition system and method is disclosed for depositing material onto raised features on a surface of a substrate. The material deposition system and method are a contact deposition or printing system and method, which employs biased rollerball to deposit the material as it travels along the substrate and over the raised features.

Provided is a ballpoint pen refill including: an ink storage tube made of a synthetic resin and storing an ink thereinside; a ball holder made of a synthetic resin and attached to a distal end of the ink storage tube; a ball pressing rod mounted inside the ball holder; and a writing ball stored in a distal end of the ball holder and having a rear end side held by the ball pressing rod, in which the ball pressing rod includes: a fixing portion fixed to the ball holder; a movable portion slidable in a front-rear direction with respect to the ball holder; a compression portion connecting the fixing portion and the movable portion; and a rearward movement restricting portion protruding from a distal end of the fixing portion and provided with a gap from a rear end of the compression portion.

To make it possible to easily change a writing line width.

A ballpoint pen chip that brings a front half part side of a transfer ball into contact with an inward annular protrusion on a front end side in a chip body from a backward side of the inward annular protrusion and receives a rear half part side of the transfer ball with a front end part of a receiving member. The receiving member includes, on a front end side thereof, a reduction part gradually reduced in a cross-sectional area forward. A front-most end part of the reduction part is disposed backward from the transfer ball. A portion of the receiving member further on a rear side than the reduction part is unretreatably fixed to the chip body and configured to elastically contract when a pressing force is received from the transfer ball.

A ball point tip comprising a ball holder having an ink conduit and a ball house, a ball accommodated into the ball house and a leaf spring axially disposed between the ball and an axial end of the ink conduit, the leaf spring having a main body and a plurality of tongues extending radially from the main body, ink passages being formed between the tongues in order to fluidly connect the ink conduit and the ball house, wherein the ball holder and the leaf spring are made of plastic and unitary formed.