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hENHOLDER
(BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a holder for writing and drawing
s i:ools, and particularly to a holder for pens.
Description of Related Art
Scientific studies indicate that one way of improving the reception of
information is to use a variety of colours when presenting it. This is quite
easy when, for instance, photographic or printed overhead slides are
to used. It is quite another matter when there is no prefabricated matter to
present, as this means that someone, usually the presenter him- or
herself, has to write and draw in real-time, so to speak. The presenter will
lrhen often have to handle several pens and maybe an eraser, as well as
irrying to present the information in the best possible manner. For a novice
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or someone who is nervous -- which is a quite common problem - this
puts on an additional burden, probably lowering the quality of the
presentation, but it can be a problem or a nuisance even for the seasoned
professional.
One main cause of the difficulties using several coloured pens in a
presentation is that it isn't easy to change between different colours. Two
common solutions to the problem of changing pens is to have all the pens
on a little shelf or in a holder - often with the pens clamped in horizontal
slots - positioned somewhere close to the writing surface. A problem with
l0 l:he shelf solution is that the pens usually spread out, especially if the
writing surface is big, which means that much time can be spent fetching
l:he pen with the proper colour. The holder solution can cause the same
problem, and in addition, it cans be difficult grasping the pens.
Another ad-hoc solution is to keep all the pens in one hand and to
is i:ake the proper pen with the writing hand. Problems with this is that it
is all
l:oo easy to drop pens or caps, it can be difficult to find the proper pen as
<~II the pens are bunched together, and that it is difficult to put the caps
back on properly, leading to dry pens which is a waste of good assets. In
addition, the writer often end up with coloured marks on (at least) one of
2o your hands as a rEault of missing the cap when trying to put it back on.
The present invention seeks to overcome these problems in
providing a better penholder.
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CA 02349108 2001-05-25
.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a holder for writing tools,
especially pens. ;paid holder comprises a single holder that incorporates
caps for a number of pens. The holder, that can be equipped with an
eraser, is easily held in one hand, while the other hand has easy access to
i:he different pens owing to their placement in the appropriately positioned
holes.
IBRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THIE DRAWINGS
A more complete understanding of the present invention may be had
to by reference to the following Detailed Description when taken in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 shows a side elevational view of an aspect of a first preferred
embodiment of the penholder ;according to the invention;
FIG. 2 shows a top elevational view of an aspect of a first preferred
s5 embodiment of the penholder ;according to the invention;
FIG. 3 shows a side e~levational view of an aspect of a second
preferred embodiment of the penholder according to the invention;
FIG. 4 shows a side elevational view of an aspect of a third preferred
embodiment of the penholder according to the invention;
2o FIG. 5 shows a top elevational view of an aspect of a third preferred
embodiment of the penholder according to the invention;
FIG. 6 shows an aspect of a first preferred embodiment of a cap
suitable for use with the third preferred embodiment of the penholder
according to the invention; and
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FIG. 7 shows an aspect of a second preferred embodiment of a cap
suitable for use with the third preferred embodiment of the penholder
according to the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION O~ EMBODIMENTS
In the drawings, Figures 1 and 2 illustrate an aspect of a first
preferred embodiment of the penholder according to the invention, the
figures respectively showing a. side and a top elevational view. The main
part of the penholder 1 is a handle 2 that is preferably constructed so as to
to be held in one hand that easily and comfortably grips it. The handle 2 is
preferably, but not necessarily, essentially cylindrical, as shown in Figure
~1. Exemplary preferred sizes for an essentially cylindrical penholder 1 are
a cm in diameter and 8 cm high, give or take a few centimetres in each
direction.
At least one part, an end side in case of a cylindrical penholder, of
the handle 2 is equipped with caps 3, preferably embedded or at least
Essentially embedded, but theyy can also protrude from the handle 2 itself.
~fhese caps 3 are designed to fit closely around the writing end of pens,
Especially pens that will dry if the tip is left in contact with air. The caps
3
2o could for instance be the caps that come with the pens, in which case the
caps are somehow fastened, for example glued, to the handle 2. The caps
;3 are preferably essentially aligned with the central axis of the handle 2.
I=figure 1 also shows a pen 4 that illustrates part of the use of the
penholder 1.
4
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The part of the handle 2 that comprises the caps 3 may also be
equipped with a protector shield 5 that extends out from the side of the
handle 2. The purpose of this protector shield 5 is to protect the hand
holding the handle 2 from stains when pens are put in and removed from
i:he caps 3. The protector shield usually extends up to a few centimetres,
but not necessarily uniformly all around the handle 2.
In Figure 1, the protector shield 5 does not extend at all on one side
of the handle 2, as this enables the penholder 1 to be attached to a
suitable surface with the aidl of a magnet 6 comprised in or on the
to penholder 1. The handle 2 may also be flattened on the side comprising
i:he magnet 6, in order for the penholder 1 to adhere better to essentially
Mat surfaces. The magnet 6 may however also be arranged elsewhere on
i:he penholder 1, such as for example on the bottom of the cylinder.
Part of the penholder 1 may advantageously be equipped with an
eraser 7 that for instance may be located on handle 2 end not comprising
caps 3, if only one end comprises caps, or on the side of the handle 2, if
i:here is no protector shield 5 or if the extension of protector shield 5
partially is essentially zero.
As can be seen from the figures, the caps 3 are positioned in a
2o manner that separates a pen 4 from other pens 4 in the penholder 1. This
arrangement makes it easy both to put a pen 4 in the cap 3 and to grasp a
pen 4 when taking it from thE: penholder 1. Figure 2 shows four caps 3
evenly spread oui over the side of the handle 2, but it is to be understood
s
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that there can be a greater or lesser number of caps 3 as well, and that
t:he caps 3 need not necessarily be symmetrically arranged.
It may be preferable to have an indication of the colour of the pen 4
on the gripping part of the pen 4 in order to facilitate the selection of the
s pen 4 with the desired colour. Alternatively, part or the whole of the
viewable part of one or more caps 3 could have indication of the colour,
but this somewhat inhibits t:he versatility, as the colours cannot be
changed without risking confusion.
Figure 3 shows a side elevational view of an aspect of a second
to embodiment of the penholder according to the invention. As in Figure 1,
there are shown a penholder 't , a handle 2, a plurality of caps 3, a pen 4,
and a protector ~;hield 5. While no magnet (6 in Figure 1 ) is shown in
I=figure 3, it is to be understood that a magnet could be incorporated into
l:his embodiment as well. The main difference between the first and
15 second embodiment is that the caps 3 in the second embodiment are
mounted at an angle relative to the central axis of the handle 2. If the
penholder 1 comprises a protector shield 5, as in the present figure, it may
be slightly curved so that a pein 4 in a cap 3 is essentially perpendicular to
t:he surface of the protector shield 5. In this case, it may also be
20 <advantageous to equip the protector shield 5 with a slightly turned-up
edge (not shown) that will help stop any pens that glide across the
protector shield 5 when the user missed the cap 3.
If the penholder according to this second embodiment is equipped
~nrith a magnet (not shown in this figure), then the caps may need to be
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arranged in a manner so that no pen projects past an imagined extension
of the side to which the magnet is attached. This is to make sure that no
pen 4 interferes with the penholder's 1 adherence to a surface.
Figures 4 arid 5 illustratE: an aspect of a third preferred embodiment
s of the penholder according to the invention, the figures respectively
;showing a side and a top elevational view. As in previous figures, the
penholder is denoted by 1, thE; handle by 2, and the protector shield by 5.
.4 main difference from the previous embodiments is that no caps (3 in
previous figures) are comprised in the handle 2 itself. Instead, spaces are
to left for the user to add any caps desired. The caps would at least partly
be
held in place by a fastener ~3, such as for example a clip, ridges (not
shown) that correspond to grooves in the side of the cap (not shown in
=figures 4 and 5), or tabs (not shown) that correspond to holes in the cap
(not shown). It is .advantageous, but not necessary, for the spaces left for
is l:he caps to hold essentially the same length and diameter as the caps
l.hemselves, as this helps keeping the caps in place. The caps could also
irrther be held in place by the user's hand. It is preferable for at least
part
of the rim of the holes in the protector shield 5 to cover the cap when the
latter is in place. This is to make it easier for the penholder 1 to keep the
2o nap in place when the corresponding pen is removed.
Figure 6 shows an aspE~ct of a first preferred embodiment of a cap
;suitable for use with the third embodiment of the penholder according to
the invention. As mentioned Earlier in Figures 4 and 5, the arrangement
ifor holding the caps 3 may be ridges (not shown) that correspond to
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grooves 9 in the side of the c<~p 3. A user would align the grooves 9 with
i.he ridges and push the cap 3 so that the ridges and grooves interact,
thereby fastening the cap 3 to the penholder.
Figure 5 shows an aspect of a second preferred embodiment of a
cap suitable for use with the third embodiment of the penholder according
1:o the invention. As mentioned earlier in Figures 4 and 5, the arrangement
for holding the caps 3 may be tabs (not shown) that correspond to holes
in the side of the cap 3. A user would align the holes 10 with the tabs
and push the cap 3 so that the tabs and holes interact, thereby fastening
to t:he cap 3 to the penholder.
As can be seen from the above-mentioned, the different
embodiments of the penholder according to the invention are efficient and
useful when using a plurality of pens.
Although several preferred embodiments of the apparatus of the
present invention have been illustrated in the accompanying Drawings and
described in the foregoing Detailed Description, it will be understood that
i:he invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed, but is capable of
numerous rearrangements, modifications and substitutions without
departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth and defined by the
2o following claims.
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