The invention relates to a sharpenable pencil having a sharpened region and a holding region one behind the other in the longitudinal direction, wherein a marking is provided which serves as an indicator that the holding region falls below a predetermined minimum length or that it does not.

Pencils of the type mentioned above are known, for example, from CN 2018 24707 U. A ruler is provided on the outside of the pencil, from which the length of the holding region can be read off.

The aim of the invention is to solve the problem that the (sharpenable) pencil, after prolonged use, eventually has a length which is no longer sufficient for ergonomically correct use. It becomes too short. If no action is taken with respect to this insufficient pencil length, and the pencil continues to be used instead, this can have disadvantageous consequences, particularly for children and adolescents. The problem with the known pencil, however, lies in the fact that the ruler applied on its outside is barely perceived during use, particularly by children and adolescents, so that when in use it is not noticeable that the ruler indicates that the length of the pencil is no longer sufficient for ergonomically correct use.

The object underlying the invention is to develop the pencil of the type mentioned at the outset in such a way that more attention is paid to the marking used as an indicator, so that ergonomically incorrect use can be prevented.

According to the invention, this object is achieved in that the marking is visible in the sharpened region.

Since the sharpened region "travels" along the longitudinal axis in the course of use of the pencil, greater attention is paid to the marking because of its coupling to the predetermined minimum length of the holding region compared to the case described above, where the marking is permanently visible. In other words, the appearance of the pencil, and in particular the visibility of the marking, will change depending on the length of the holding region, thereby clearly signaling to the user when the holding region falls below the predetermined minimum length.

The exact extent of the minimum length depends on who is intended to use the pencil. It can, for example, be in the range of 6 cm to 9 cm.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the marking appears in the sharpened region when the holding region has fallen below the minimum length. This embodiment is based on the fact that the user, when viewing the pencil after it has fallen below the minimum length, can see something on the pencil which was not previously visible, namely the marking. As a result, he is made aware of the fact that the pencil has fallen below the minimum length.

According to a further preferred embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the marking is visible in the sharpened region when the holding region has fallen below the minimum length. In other words, according to this embodiment of the invention, it is provided that once the holding region has fallen below the minimum length, the marking is or remains continuously visible. In principle, the pencil can be arbitrarily configured. However, it preferably has two slats of sharpenable material with a lead interposed between them, all three parts being glued together. The slats can be made of wood, for example.

According to the invention, it is further preferably provided that the adhesive bonding the lead and/or at least one of the slats is colored in sections when viewed in the longitudinal direction of the pencil to form the marking. Since the adhesive is visible in the sharpened region, it is noticeable due to its coloring and can serve as an indicator that the holding region falls below the predetermined minimum length or not.

In addition or in the alternative, it can be provided according to the invention that the lateral surface of the lead and/or a surface of at least one of the slats facing the lead or the other slat is colored in sections when viewed in the longitudinal direction of the pencil in order to form the marking.

Again, the colored section is visible in the sharpened region and can therefore serve as an indicator.

It is further preferred according to the invention that the coloring is realized by painting and/or scorching.

According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the pencil has a cap which, when fitted onto the sharpened region, protects the lead and, when fitted onto the end of the pencil opposite the sharpened region, extends the holding region.

As already indicated above, the cap can, on the one hand, be used to protect or preserve the lead. However, it can also be used in order to lengthen a holding region, which, from an ergonomic perspective, is no longer sufficiently long, so that the pencil can continue to be used safely, even if the holding region is already too short for ergonomically correct use.

For safety reasons, the cap may be ventilated.

Finally, it is preferably provided according to the invention that the cap in the fitted state compensates for paint tolerances at the end of the pencil. This ensures that it can be fitted properly on the end of the pencil in order to lengthen the holding region. The invention is explained in more detail below with the aid of preferred exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawing. Shown are

Fig 1a a pencil according to a first exemplary embodiment of the invention, in perspective view with the cap fitted,

Fig. 1 b the same view as Fig. 1a but without a cap,

Fig. 1c a longitudinal sectional view of the pencil according to Fig. 1a,

Fig. 1d the same view as Fig. 1a, but after being shortened by repeated sharpening and with a cap fitted at the rear,

Fig. 1e the same view as Fig. 1d but in longitudinal section, and

Fig. 2 the same views as Fig. 1 but of a second exemplary embodiment.

The pencil according to Fig. 1 is generally designated by the reference numeral 10. It has grip recesses, one of which is designated by reference numeral 12 by way of example. The grip recesses 12 lie in a holding region 13 of the pencil. The shape of the pencil is triangular in cross section. It is a lead pencil. In principle, however, the invention can be applied to all sharpenable pencils.

In Figures 1a and 1c, a cap 15 is fitted onto the sharpened region 14 (Fig. 1 b) of the pencil. The cap 15 is ventilated so that it does not pose a risk should it be swallowed.

The pencil 10 has a marking 16 located in the rear portion of the pencil 10. The pencil is made by gluing two slats together, while the lead 18 of the pencil 10 is located between the two slats. The appropriate part of the glue is colored in order to form the marking 16.

If the holding region 13 of the pencil 10 falls below a predetermined minimum length, which in the exemplary embodiment shown is 7 cm, the marking 16 appears in the sharpened region 14. This state is shown in Figures 1d and 1e. The appearance of the marking 16 in the sharpened region 14 indicates to the user of the pencil 10 that it has fallen below the predetermined minimum length of 7 cm, which is why, for ergonomic reasons, the pencil 10 should no longer or can no longer be used without further measures. In order to still be able to use it further, in the exemplary embodiment shown, the cap 15 can be fitted on the rear end of the pencil 10 as shown in Fig. 1d and 1e, as a result of which the cap 15 extends the holding region 13 in such a way that ergonomically safe further use of the pencil 10 is possible.

In principle, the pencil according to Fig. 2 is of the same construction as that of Fig. 1 , which is why the same reference numerals are used for corresponding parts. The only difference is that the marking 16 does not appear in the grip recesses 12. This is achieved in that the colored part of the glue, which constitutes the marking 16, has a smaller wall thickness in the radial direction than in the exemplary embodiment according to Fig. 1 , which is why it does not extend to the bottom of the grip recesses 12. As a result, in the pencil according to Fig. 2, the marking is not visible as long as the holding region 13 is long enough. Only when the holding region 13 falls below the predetermined minimum length of 7 cm does the marking become visible at all, and specifically only in the sharpened region 14.

The features of the invention disclosed in the above description, claims, and drawing may, both individually and in any combination, be essential to the realization of the invention in its various embodiments.