CLOSURE CAP FOR WRITING AND DRAWING INSTRUMENTS

Abstract

A closure cap for writing and drawing instruments is provided having a tubular element intended for covering an ink-application element of a writing instrument when same is not in use, with a housing being defined in the tubular element which is intended for containing a volatile liquid, with said housing remaining in communication with the hollow interior of the tubular element via, at least, one opening, with the closure of said communication occurring by an impermeable and breathable membrane.

Claims

1. A closure cap for writing and drawing instruments, comprising a tubular element intended for covering an ink-application element of a writing instrument when same is not in use, a housing intended for containing a volatile liquid is defined in the tubular element, with said housing remaining in communication with the hollow interior of the tubular element via, at least, one opening, with the closure of said communication occurring by means of an impermeable and breathable membrane.

2. The closure cap for writing and drawing instruments according to claim 1, wherein the impermeable and breathable membrane is made of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE).

3. The closure cap for writing and drawing instruments according to claim 1, wherein the housing is determined by means of an accessory ferrule incorporated at the end of the tubular element, with the closure of said ferrule occurring by means of a removable cover.

4. The closure cap for writing and drawing instruments according to claim 1, wherein the housing is determined by means of a segment which is removably coupled at the end of the tubular element, a hollow portion closed with a cover provided with a filling valve being defined in the segment.

5. The closure cap for writing and drawing instruments according to claim 1, wherein the housing is determined by means of a hollow portion defined in a one-piece formation of the tubular element.

6. The closure cap for writing and drawing instruments according to claim 1, comprising a filling valve in communication with the housing.

7. The closure cap for writing and drawing instruments according to claim 1, wherein the membrane has a configuration reciprocal to the configuration of the ink-application element.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0013] FIG. 1 shows a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a writing instrument closed with a cap performed according to the invention.

[0014] FIG. 2 is an enlarged detail of the portion of the cap in which the housing for the volatile liquid is located, according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0015] FIG. 3 is a detail similar to that of the preceding figure, according to another exemplary embodiment for determining the housing of the volatile liquid in the cap.

[0016] FIG. 4 is another exemplary embodiment for determining the housing of the volatile liquid in the cap.

[0017] FIG. 5 is a detail of another exemplary embodiment for determining the housing for the volatile liquid.

[0018] FIG. 6 is a detail view in which a membrane has a configuration adapted to the configuration of an ink-application element.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] The object of the invention relates to a closure cap for writing instruments (1), intended for being incorporated as a cover to protect the ink-application element (2) in the corresponding writing instrument (1) when same is not in use, comprising a tubular element (3) open at one end where there is determined a coupling (4), which can be a threaded or press fit coupling, for being secured to the writing instrument (1) of application.

[0020] At the end opposite the coupling (4), the tubular element (3) is closed and there is defined at said end a housing (5) intended for containing a volatile liquid at room temperature, such as water for example, with said housing (5) remaining in communication with the hollow interior of the tubular element (3) via, at least, one opening, with the closure of said communication occurring by means of an impermeable and breathable membrane (6), in other words, it allows the passage therethrough of a gas but does not allow a liquid to go through it.

[0021] Said closure membrane (6) between the housing (5) and the hollow interior of the tubular element (3) is provided, for example, with a material such as expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE), which suitably fulfils the mentioned specifications of allowing a gas to go through it but not a liquid.

[0022] With that being the case, the volatile liquid contained in the housing (5) is retained in said housing (5) without being able to pass into the hollow interior of the tubular element (3), since this is prevented by the membrane (6), but the gas phase resulting from the evaporation of said volatile liquid is allowed to pass through the membrane (6), creating a wetness in the mentioned hollow interior of the tubular element (3).

[0023] Therefore, when the closure cap is coupled on the corresponding writing instrument (1), with the ink-application element (2) being housed in the hollow interior of the tubular element (3), as observed in FIG. 1, said ink-application element (2) of the writing instrument (1) is maintained in a wet environment due to the vaporised gas passing through the membrane (6) from the housing (5) to the mentioned hollow interior of the tubular element (3), where the ink-application element (2) is located, which prevents the residual ink remaining in that ink-application element (2) from drying out after using the writing instrument (1), with the ink passage fluidity through said ink-application element (2) thus being maintained for reusing the writing instrument (1) without problems.

[0024] For that purpose, the housing (5) intended for containing the volatile liquid in the closure cap of the writing instruments (1) can be determined in any manner in the constructive structuring of the cap of application, for example, as observed in FIG. 2, by means of an accessory ferrule (7) incorporated at the end of the tubular element (3), with the closure of said ferrule (7) occurring by means of a removable cover (8).

[0025] According to another exemplary embodiment, the housing (5) for the volatile liquid can also be determined, as shown in FIG. 3, by means of a segment (9) which is removably coupled at the end of the tubular element (3), there being defined in the segment (9) a hollow portion closed with a cover (10), in which there may be a filling valve (11) for introducing the volatile liquid.

[0026] In a general embodiment concept, the housing (5) may in turn be determined, according to the example of FIG. 4, by means of a one-piece formation of the cap, configuring in the actual constructive formation of the tubular element (3) a hollow portion determining the housing (5), with a filling valve (11) in communication with said hollow portion for introducing the volatile liquid.

[0027] The filling valve (11) can be a simple membrane or an elastomeric element which allows the passage therethrough of a syringe-type liquid loading element, such that when the loading element is removed, the membrane closes off the passage of liquid, preventing its unwanted exit.

[0028] Likewise, according to another exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the housing (5) could be determined by means of a one-piece formation of the cap, configuring in the actual constructive formation of the tubular element (3) a hollow portion determining the housing (5). However, this embodiment does not provide for any element which allows the filling of the housing (5) with volatile liquid, such that when said volatile liquid is used up in its entirety, the cap will no longer be able to wet the ink-application element (2).

[0029] As can be seen in FIG. 6, the membrane (6) preferably comprises a configuration reciprocal to the configuration of the ink-application element (2), such that the membrane (6) surrounds the ink-application element (2), causing a better wetting effect on said ink-application element (2).