This invention refers to a pen, which also may include or house a stamp or some other object.

The object of the present invention is to design a pen, which may be con- veniently carried also in-the pocket of a thin shirt due to a substantially flat shape, but which also has a gripping portion of substantially circular section and an operating means to retract the writing implement such as a refill, such means being so located that it may be reached by using the per¬ ception of touch, i.e. without the need for observing the pen.

A further object is to make the structure very simple and to reduce the ^' risk for writing fatigue by giving the hand alternative gripping facilities. An¬ other object is to design the pen so as to house a preferably foldable item such as a stamp, which may be taken out from the pen by operation of a lat¬ ching means or the like.

To accomplich these and other objects, the invention has the characteristics disclosed in the claims.

The accompanying drawing shows an exampl.ifying embodiment of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section through a pen combined with a stamp having the refill in the operative position thereof; Fig. 2 is a section along line 11-11 in Fig. 1;

Fig 3 is a perspective view of the stamping unit of the stamp pen removed from the pen and in-the operative position thereof; and final ly,

Fig. h is an end view of the pen body member.

The pen according to the present invention is illustrated in the accom¬ panying drawing as a stamp pen, comprising a pen body member

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having the general designation 1, The upper portion of the pen body member has ^" a substantial ly rectangular section. Said rectangular portion is designated By reference numeral 2 In Fig. ^• +. The lower portion 3 of the pen Body memBer has, as seen In Fig. ^• *. a suBstan- ti ^' ally circular section. As the portion having the ctrcular sec¬ tion has a largest diameter suBstantlal ly corresponding to the narrow part of the rectangular portion, It Is understood that here¬ by a pen body memBer Is oBta.ned, which is very convenient to handle as the diameter must not exceed approximately 9 mm, which is less than for the most handy and neat pen. The upper portion of the pen body memBer has a first hollow part h of substantially rectangular sectTon and a second hollow part 5 of circular sectton. Further, the pen Body member has an upper opening 6 and a lower opening 7 for purposes to Be descrf&ed.

Additionally, the stamp pen has a stamp uni , general ly designated by reference numeral 8, comprising a handle 9 having a resilient tongue 10 terminating In a catch 11. The tongue and the catch are preferably integrally formed with the rest of the handle and said handle and the stamp holder and pen body member as well as a sliding member, to be described, are preferably made from a con¬ venient plastic material, such as an acetale plastic material, at least for the handle and the sliding member. The stamp handle is to be pivotably connected to a stamp holder and for this purpose, the handle is provided with two elongated side portions 12 in the embodiment shown, to define resilient legs provided with journal- ling holes 13. Further, a recess \ is made in the handle for a purpose to be described.

Said stamp holder 16 is of a substantially rectangular section and has two journalling pins 17 to engage the holes 13 tn the handle 9 to pivotal ly connect the portions to each other. Means a re pro¬ vided to hold the handle and the.stamp holder in the operative po¬ sition Illustrated Tn Fig. 3 and preferably also In the folded po¬ sition shown Tn Fig. 1 and 2. As the side portions 12 are res?- liently shaped, It Is understood that the handle and the stamp

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holder may be easily connected to each other by urging the side portions somewhat away from each other such that the pins 17 of the stamp holder may Be Inserted Into said holes 13. By providing recesses 18 in the edge portions of the holder, Into which the side portions 12 may snap when the stamp Is in the position shown in Fig. 3, an arresting or holding In said position would Be ob¬ tained, but By providing the legs 12 with thickened, substantially rectangular end portions 19 said arresting action mentioned above Is obtained for the handle In relation to the holder in Both end positions ^* .

The stamp holder has the shape of an open box, and a stamping plate 18 is fitted thereinto, made from a so called micro-porous mate¬ rial, which is furthermore elastlcally compressible. Such micro- porous rubber plates may hold stamping Ink and give it off by printing so that ten thousands of prints may Be provided by one single filling. The material Is also such, that the stamping ink does not dry under the Influence of air.

The pen also comprises a sliding member, generally designated by reference numeral 20. Similarly to the handle portion 9, said sliding member has a resilient tongue 21 terminating in a catch 22. Similarly to the tongue 10, the tongue 21 is attached in the lower end thereof according to Fig., which results in that the latching action is enforced upon increasing load as the torque, exerted upon the catch, tends to swing the tongue in a direction increas- ing the grip. Further, the sliding member has a guide means 23 to frictionally hold a ball point refill 24 or some other writing ^* implement. Said guide preferably has a recess having somewhat in¬ wardly directed beads so that the refill may be snapped into the recess sideways. In order to limit the swinging movement of the tongue 21, the catch, has side projections 25.

A helical spring 26, one end thereof abutting a flange Inside the pen Body memBer and frictionally holding the same, rests with the opposite end thereof against a flange of the Ball point refill or

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against the sliding member in case such, a flange Is missing, and also has a frlctlonal grip with the refill and/or the sliding memBer.

The pen descrlBed operates In the following manner;

When it is desired to use the pen, It Is only necessary to press the pen handle por ion projecting from the pen Body memBer, which, as may Be seen In Fig. 1 and 2, serves as a knoB for Bringing the writing refill to and out of the operating positions. From a posi¬ tion In which the sliding memBer 20 engages the holder 16, said sliding memBer will thereBy Be downwardly displaced, whereby the catch 22 thereof comes Into latching engagement with the opening 7. ThereBy, the writing refill Is fixed In the operative position thereof, shown in Fig, 1 and 2.

When it Is desired to use the stamp, the handle portion is seized at the same time as the finger presses the catch 11 Into the pen body member. Hereby, the handle portion may be outwardly pulled. Thereafter, the stamp Is removed out from the pen body member and is ready for use. As the stamping plate is inked, as previously mentioned, the desired number of prints may be made. At the same time the writing refill is in the operative position thereof, and the pen may be used completely independantly of the stamp. When the stamp action is completed, the process is performed in the opposite order.

In order to bring the writing refill into the inoperative or idle position, naturally, it is sufficient to press in the catch 22. Thereby, the spring 26 will bring the sliding member and conse¬ quently also the writing refill upwardly until the catch 11 of the handle portion engages the opening 6.

It Is understood that only the lower opening 7 Is used wften the refill Is to be retracted Into the pen Body memBer and since this opening is easily accessible In the transition Between the.wider

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and more narrow portion of the pen, the refill may be ^' retracted also without looking at the pen.

It has Been found that the shape of the descriBed pen offers highly significant advantages from a writing poirrtr of-view. The plausible explanation thereto, Is that the pen Body memBer by virtue of the asymmetric shape has a different Balance depending upon how the pen is gripped, I.e. In case the pen Is gripped, for example, so that the left portion of the wider portion thereof, as seen in Fig. 2, is facing upwardly and In case the pen Is so gripped, respectively*, that the mentioned portion Is facing down¬ wardly, and facing Tntermedtate positions, respectively ^* . As the hand changes grips around the pen, writing fatigue is effectively prevented and the handy shape makes the pen very easy to write with.

Naturally, the portions of the stamp plate to leave the prints must extend to a plane, which in the operative position of the stamp lies below the lower plane of the stamp holder and said por¬ tions of the stamp could thereby engage the interior of the pen body member. In order to prevent this, the legs 12, are so wide, as may be seen in Fig. 1, that the stamping surface in the posi¬ tion according to said Fig. is located in a plane which in said Fig. is located to the left of the plane through the right edge portions of the legs.

In order to protect the stamping plate, a resilient tongue 30, according to Fig. 3 _» is attached to the stamp handle. By the resi¬ lient structure of the tongue this one Is swung outwardly and de¬ fines an elastical support, when the stamp handle according to Fig. 3 Is unvolded to the stamp position.

As mentioned, the descriBed pen Is very simple to produce and use but, in order that the pen may function and operate in the intend¬ ed manner, It Is required that the refill may not unintentionally be brought along with the stamp out of the pen body memBer. This

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is oBtained By connecting the spring 26 with, frictional force to the sliding memBer or the refill as well as to the pen body mem¬ ber. Hereby, It is necessary to release, By means of an object, such as another refill, Inserted through the opening 7, the unit formed By the sliding memBer 20, the spring 26, and the refill 2k from the pen Body memBer In order to remove the same. Natαval ly, other solutions to said problem are also posslBle,

In case the pen Is not comBtned with a stamp or a similar object, the sliding memBer Is elongated so that it also comprise the re- slllent tongue 10, 11 and a portion projecting from the upper end of the pen Body memBer as seen In the Fig. Thus, such a pen comprises, Besides from a spring and a Ball point pen refill, two portions, I.e. th.e pen Body memBer 1 and the elongated sliding member just mentioned.

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