Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Title; CAP F~ A P~N O~ TU~ LIK~I WITH SOU~ P~UCEg
This invention relates to a device for producing sound,
which fits into a tubular cylindrical cap, such as the cap
of a pen, or the cap of a lipstick holder.
A main purpos~ of the device is to produce a sound
auto~atically when the user removes the cap. For example,
when a pen is given as a birthday gift, the effect of the
greetings and good wishes is greatly enhanced if the pen
automatically plays the tune "Happy Birthday" when the
recipient opcns the cap. The greeting is enhanced still
more if ~-he messa~e is spoken in words.
In the invention, the sound producer may be of the
conventional kind in which a micro-chip is coupled to a
battery and a speaker. The sound producer may be of the
kind which i8 set to play a bHep-tune, i~ to play a tune
comprising one-at-a-ti~e pitches, uhsrein the frequencies
are generated by program~ing; or alternatively the sound
producer ~ay be set to reproduce more ~eneral sounds such as
music with chords, or voics. ~ith a multi-frequency sound
producer, generally the sounds e~itted ar~ not generated by
programming but are reproductions of pre-recorded sounds.
As mentioned, one application of the invention is in the
enhancement of a birthday greeting. Other applications may
be exemplified as:
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- announce~cnt of a safety message;
- statement of slogans or rallying calls for sports tea~s,
clubs, political groups, etc;
- advertising, especially where the pen or other article has
written upon it a message to go with the sound ~essage;
- brief extract fro~ ths latest record by a r~cording star;
- recitation of a person s name, especially where the name
is repeated in writing on the pen;
The invention is applicable in cases where a person desires
any tune or short nessage to be often repeated, especially
when that tune or ~essage can bG advantageously linked with
~ords, e~blems, or other visual ~sssa~es appearing on the
pen. It is an easy ~atter also to program the sound
producing device to step through a nu~ber (say four or five)
of tunes or messages.
One major feature of the invention lies in the ~anner in
which the operation of the production of sound is activated
or initiated. In the invention, an optical sensor is
provided. The sensor is placed inside the cap, where, when
the cap i8 on the pen, the sensor iæ in darkness.
Preferably, the sensor is so placed that when the cap is
removed ~rom the pen, light entering the cap falls upon the
sensor, and thereby activates the sensor to initiate the
sound. The device ~ay be progra~ed to stop sounding after
say a couple of seconds, or when the cap is replaced on the
pen, as desired.
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It is preferred in the invention that the sound should cease
automatically after a fe~ seconds. It is possible to
arrange that a person has to operate a switch to suitch o~f
the sound, but it is preferred that an automatic time delay
or similar process be used to switch off the sound. It is
also possible to arrange that a switch be included which
disables the sound producing device, whereby the pen cap can
be opened without the sound being activated at all.
It is pre~erred, however, that nothing at all is included
which would reguire ~echanical actuating ~ovements, and that
only the optical sensor is effective to actuate the sound
producing device, and that only the no-moving-parts optical
sensor, or, as mentioned, a no-moving-parts time delay, is
effective to switch off the sound producing device.
It is preferred that the mannsr of arranging the co~ponents
is such that the components, and the board upon which they
are mounted, fit inside the pen cap, yet do not require any
interaction from the cap nor from the user.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
By way of further explanation oP the invention, an exe~plary
embodiment of the invention will now be described with
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
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Fig 1 is a cross-section of a pen cap having a sound
producer constructed in accordance with the invention;
Fle 2A is a pictorial view of a sub-assembly unit o~ the
sound producer, which fits inside the cap;
Fig 2B is a view of the underside of th~ sub-assembly unit;
Fig 3 is an end elevation of the sub-assembly unit, shown
installed in the cap;
Fig 4 is a cross-sectional view of a component of the
sub-assembly unit.
The apparatus shown in the accompanying drawings and
described below are examples which e~body the invsntion. It
should be noted that the scope of the invention is defined
by the accoopanying clai~s, and not necessarily by specific
features of exemplary e~bodiments.
The drawings show a pen 40 having a body 41 and a cap 42.
The cap 42 of the pen comprises a hollow cylindrical tube,
made o~ the usual plastic material. The upper end of the
cap 42 is provided with a recess 43.
The apparatus includes a loudspeaker 4B~ The speaker 46
comprises the usual coil 48 of ~ine wire, which is wound
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around a central post 49. The post 49 is attached to a
plate 50. Surrounding the coil 48 is an annulus 51. The
post 49, the plate 50, and the annulus 51, are ~ade o~
~agnetic material.
The plate 50 is glued to a piece 52 of circuit board
~aterial, having integral ~etallic pads 53. Pins 54 are
soldered to the pads 53, and Protrude at right angles to the
piece 52 of circuit board ~aterial. Ths wires 56 ~rom the
coil 48 are soldered also to the pads 53.
The speaker includes a diaphrag~ 57, which is secured
between a dooe 58, and a sleeve 59 spigoted thereto, which
are both ~ade of plastic ~aterial. The plate 50 and the
piece 52 are pressed into, and glued into, the sleeve 59.
The dooe 58 is provided with a hole 60 through which sound
fron the speaker 46 ~ay broadcast.
The co~ponents as described ~oro a plug-sub-asse~bly 61,
which is as shown in Fig 4. The plug-sub-assembly 61, put
together as described, beco~es a unitary co~ponent having
its own structural integrity and robustness. The plug-sub-
asseubly 61 is di~ensioned to fit within the recess 43 in
the cap 42.
The apparatus includes a circuit board 64, which is ~ade of
the usual plastic insulative naterial coated with conductive
~etal at pre-deter~ined locations. The plug-sub-asse~bly 61
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is attached to the circuit board B4 by soldering the pins 54
to suitably placed metal pads 65 on the circuit board. The
electrical connections to the coil 48 are thereby also made.
The circuit board 64 is provided with the conductive metal
on both sides. The two sides of the board are shown in Figs
2A and 2B rsspectively. Also mounted on the circuit board
64 are an optical light sensor 67, an encapsulated ~icro-
chip 68, a current regulator 69, a first battery 70, which
residas in a battery clip 71, and a Recond battery clip 72
which can recsive an optional second battery.
The said components, secured upon the circuit board 64, and
together with the plug-sub-assembly B1, co~prise an assembly
unit 73. The unit 73, like the plug-sub-asse~bly, beco~es
an integrated structural, unitary, whole. The assembly-unit
73 is physically robust enough to be asse~bled into the pen
cap 42, and robust enough for a long service life in such a
location.
The assembly-unit 73 is self-contained as regards its
performance as a sound producer. The co~ponents asse~bled
and located on the cirouit board are e~fective, when the
~icro-chip 68 is program~ed appropriately, to issue pre-
arranged sounds via ths loudspeaker 4B when ths optical
sensor 67 is exposed to light. It is recognised that no
other components are needed to be added ~or the sound
producer to function, neither as regards the quality o~ the
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sound produced, nor as regards the proper operational
actuation o~ the device.
In particular, there is no wiring to be carried out after
the unit has been asse~bled into the pen cap.
The assembly-unit 73 is not o~ course indestruotible, and
indeed the unit might be regarded, as it stands, as not
adequately robust ~or many applications in which electronic
devices and components are typically used. However, it is
reco~nised that the inside of a pen cap is a protected
environ~ent, and that the components and th~ circuit board
can come to little harm in such a place. Of course, the
unit might be damaged i~ it were possible, ~or example, for
the nib of the pen to encroach right into the end of the cap
where the unit is located, but it i5 a simple matter for the
designer to see to it that this cannot happen.
On the other hand, the plug-sub-asssmbly 61 does need to
have 80~e robustness; not so much for in-service use as for
a~8embly. The ~orce requirod to insert thc dovice ( i8 the
uhole Fig 2A,2B assembly-unit 73) into the recess 43 is
applied to the plug-sub-assembly 61, and more espacially to
the dome 58. It will be noted that the dome 58 i5 perha~s
the ~ost robust component of the whole devics, yet the
robustness of the dome was provided mainly to acco~modate
its function of holding and locatin~ the loudspeaker
compon~nts: it i8 recognised that the robustness provided
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for this ~irst $unction i5 enough also to accom~odate the
second ~unction of the dome, ie its function as a
trans~itter of asse~bly press $orces.
The co~paratively fragile circuit board i5 not called upon
to su$fer asse~bly press $orces: the do~e 58 and the sleeve
59 can easily deal with such assembly press forces as are
applied.
It mieht be considered that a circuit board and components
such as have been described would not be adequately robust
without encapsulation in a suitable potting co~pound. Yet
such has not proved necessary. If encapsulation is needed
or preferred, it should o~ course be transparent, at least
in the region o$ the optical sensor.
The device as described, ie the assembly-unit 73, may
there~ore be regarded as be~ng per~ectly adequately robust
in those areas where robustness is especially needed,
whereas in those areas whsre the device is perhaps not so
robust, little is required.
One ~ajor advantage of the device as described is that the
device is self-contained as it stands. The device is self-
contained ~oth physically and electrically. No connections
need be made after the device is assembled into the pen cap.
This is a great advantage because the asse~bly of pens
typically takes place at a separate facility from the
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assembly of electronic co~ponents and circuit boards (and is
carried out by different people). Assembly of the device
into the pen is si~ply a matter o~ pressing the device in:
there is no subsequent wiring or adjust~snt required, of any
kind, upon asse~bly of the devics into the cap. Thus the
manufacture, and even the final inspectionJ of the assembly-
unit 73 can easily be done quite separately from the
manufacture and assembly o~ the pen -- even in a dif~erent
country, should that be desired.
ThusJ the devi¢e as described is eminently suitableJ because
of its shape and physical characteristicsJ for ~ittin~ into
a pen cap, and for operation therein. Being optically
actuated, the device has no moving parts, which also renders
the device eminently suitable for such use.
Of course, optical actuation of electrical devices is not
nsw. However, a feature o~ the invention is that the deYice
~akes use of the fact that the interior of a pen cap remains
in darkness until the pen cap is removed. Thus the
~echanical operation of removing thc pen cap, which thc user
performs upon the pen, whether the pen produces sound or
not, automatically actuates the sound producing device.
The optical light sensor 67 should be so placed on the
circuit board that lt does inde~d receive light when the pen
cap is removed. Also, the sensitivity of the light sensing
portion of the electrical circuit should be carefully set.
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In this connection, it should be noted that the plastic from
which pen caps are ~ade usually in faot have so~e
light-transmitting capacityJ so that the light sensor ~ay
need to be desensitised to avoid spurious actuation when the
capped pen is exposed to bright lights. These things ars
deter~ined by settings built into the circuit by the
designer: no adjust~ents are required during ~anufacture or
asse~bly.
The arrange~ent of the circuit board> and of the said
co~ponents asse~bled upon the circuit board, is such that
the resulting asse~bly-unit 73 (of board and co~ponents) ~ay
be regarded as tunnel-shaped: that is to say, the asse~bly-
unit 73 is so shaped as to be particularly suited for
fitting endways inside a cylindrical tunnel, ie inside the
cap of a pen.
In the asse~bly-unit 73 as described the circuit board
occupies a dianeter of the cap, as ~ay be seen in Fig 4.
The co~ponents attached to the board are disposed either
side of the board. It i8 recognised as a significant
advantage that the co~ponents are arranged upon the circuit
board such that the assenbly-unit ~ay be inserted into a
cylindrical tunnel, bearing in ~ind the fact that the
asse~bly-unit is to be fitted into the hollow cylindrical
cap 42.
The c~rcuit board *4 is ~ade of the u8ual non-oondu*tive
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rigid plastic ~aterial faced with ~etal, which is etched
away to for~ the circuit layout. In the device as
described, the board is provided with ~etal on both sides,
and co~ponents are arranged on both sides. If all the
co~ponents were to one side o~ the circuit board, it would
be ~uch ~ore dif~icult to arrange that the device could fit
into a cylindrical tunnel.
The co~ponents could of course be ~ade to fit if they were
s~aller, and ~iniaturisation of electronic co~ponents is of
course always a possibility, but the nornal, standard,
proprietorily available, conponents, such as loudspeakers,
batteries and their clips, light sensors, etc as described,
can only be ~ade to fit inside a pen cap if careful thought
is given to their physical arrange~ent. Also, to be readily
acceptable to the public, the device ~ust be very
inexpensive, and the design of specially shaped components
~or use in the device o~ the invention would not be
econo~ical.
The di~ensions of pens are not for~ally standardized. Even
so, ~odern writing i~ple~ents do generally confor~ to
certain di~ensional standards. Thus, the length of a pen is
around 15 c~, including the cap. Pens of ~ore than about 17
c~, or less than 13 c~, in length are not, in general,
available on the ~arket (except as absurd novelty itens).
SiDilarly, pens of s~aller dia~eter than about 7 nn are very
rare. The conventional ball-point pen (and a conventional
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pencil) hardly ever exceed 8 or 9 mm; however, felt-tip pens
and fountain pens o~ten are thicker, up to about 12 or 13
~o, which are quite readily available, indicating that such
thicker dimsnsions can be acceptable to ths public.
Thus the dimensions of a pen ~ust be fairly closely
controlled in order for ths pen to be widely accsptable to
the public: if ths designer wishes to install sound
producing apparatus on the pen, he cannot design the pen
around the apparatus -- he must design the sound producing
apparatus to fit within the "standard" di~ensions of a pen.
It is recognised that whether it is convenient and economic
to fit a sound producing device into a pen, as in the
invention, depends primarily on whether the sound device can
be acco~odated, di~ensionally, upon the pen.
Also, it is recognised that it is not si~ply a question, for
the designer, of making the sound producsr fit into the pen;
first, the designer must co~e to the recognition that, by
arranging the components in a certain fashion, the sound
producer can be accommodated within a dimensional envelope
that is co~patible with the "standard" di~ensions of pen, ie
the di~ensions which the public has co~e to expect of pens.
The asse~bly-unit 73 as described fits within a circu~-
scribing cylinder of diamster 12 mm. The diameter of the
plug-sub-assenbly ôl is 12 ~ and the length thereof,
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excluding the pins, is 9 ~. The length of the device
overall is 3 c~. The invention should not be construed as
being limited to these exact di~ensions, but it is
recognised that these di~ensions are not ~erely ~atters of
design choice: rather, a feature of the invention is the
reco~nition that it is the fact that the co~ponents can be
fitted within this di~ensional envelope which renders the
device suitable for use as a pen cap sound producer.
It is not necessary that the circuit board B4 should be
s~aller in width than the dia~eter of the pen cap into which
it is inserted: the pen cap can acco~odate the board even
though the board ~ight interfere slightly with the sides of
the cap, and the board can easily resist being (lightly)
squeezed between the sides of the cap.
The sound producing device as described reguires the use of
just one battery when set to operate in the si~ple beeP-tune
mode, in which just a single pitch is sounded at one ti~e.
In order for ths device to e~it ~ultiple frequencies
simultaneously, as is required for speech or ~usic, it is
generally better that two batteries be provided. It is
recognised that two standard batteries of dia~eter 8 ~ and
height 3.4 ~, and their associated clips, can be
acco~odated on a circuit board as co~ponents of a
tunnel-shaped asse~bly unit, which fits into a cylinder of
11 or 12 mm dia~eter.
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For good sound performance, it is recognised that the
diaphragm of the loudspeaker should not be less than about
10 or 11 m~ in diameter, and it is recognised that the
loudspeaker preferably should be accommodated, not on the
same piece of circuit board as the batteries, but at right
angles thereto, as described, where the loudspeaker acts as
the end plug o~ the cap.
