Deformable grip for a writing implement

Abstract

A deformable grip for a writing implement having a rigid barrel includes a grip layer connected to the rigid barrel. The grip layer is formed of a solid viscoelastic grip material having a hardness of approximately 1 to 80 Shore OO durometer allowing the grip layer to achieve a deformed shape under manual pressure. The grip material further has a shape retention adapted to retain the deformed shape for at least 1 second. A coating is disposed over the grip layer and is formed of a coating material having a tensile strength of at least approximately 50 to 1000 psi and an elongation ratio of at least approximately 50 to 2000 percent. The grip may be formed over a majority of the barrel length to accommodate a variety of grip points and to improve comfort to a user.

1 . A deformable grip for a writing implement having a rigid barrel, the grip comprising: 
 a grip layer connected to the rigid barrel, the grip layer being formed of a solid viscoelastic grip material having a hardness of approximately 1 to 80 Shore OO durometer allowing the grip layer to achieve a deformed shape under manual pressure, the grip material further having a shape retention adapted to retain the deformed shape for at least 1 second; and    a coating disposed over the grip layer, the coating being formed of a coating material having a tensile strength of at least approximately 50 to 1000 psi and an elongation ratio of at least approximately 50 to 2000 percent.    
   
   
       2 . The deformable grip of  claim 1 , in which the coating comprises a spray coating applied to the grip layer.  
   
   
       3 . The deformable grip of  claim 1 , in which the grip material comprises silicone material.  
   
   
       4 . The deformable grip of  claim 1 , in which the grip material comprises a polyurethane material.  
   
   
       5 . The deformable grip of  claim 4 , in which the polyurethane material comprises a two-part urethane gel material.  
   
   
       6 . The deformable grip of  claim 1 , in which the coating material and grip material adhere to one another.  
   
   
       7 . The deformable grip of  claim 1 , in which the grip material comprises a polyurethane material and the coating material comprises a polyurethane material.  
   
   
       8 . The deformable grip of  claim 7 , in which the grip layer is formed by low pressure casting, and in which the coating layer is formed by spray coating.  
   
   
       9 . The deformable grip of  claim 1 , in which the grip material has a hardness of approximately 5 to 70 Shore OO durometer.  
   
   
       10 . The deformable grip of  claim 1 , in which the grip material has a hardness of approximately 10 to 50 Shore OO durometer.  
   
   
       11 . The deformable grip of  claim 1 , in which the coating material has a tensile strength of at least approximately 100 to 900 psi.  
   
   
       12 . The deformable grip of  claim 1 , in which the coating material has a tensile strength of at least approximately 150 to 800 psi.  
   
   
       13 . The deformable grip of  claim 1 , in which the coating material has an elongation ratio of at least approximately 100 to 1500 percent.  
   
   
       14 . The deformable grip of  claim 1 , in which the coating material has an elongation ratio of at least approximately 200 to 1000 percent.  
   
   
       15 . The deformable grip of  claim 1 , in which the grip material has a hardness of approximately 10 to 50 Shore OO durometer, and in which the coating material has a tensile strength of at least approximately 150 to 800 psi and an elongation ratio of at least approximately 200 to 1000 percent.  
   
   
       16 . The deformable grip of  claim 1 , in which the grip layer is permanently adhered to the rigid barrel.  
   
   
       17 . A method of forming a deformable grip for a writing implement having a rigid barrel, the method comprising: 
 forming a grip layer directly onto a portion of the rigid barrel thereby to bond the grip layer to the rigid barrel, the grip layer being formed of a solid viscoelastic grip material; and    forming a coating layer on the grip layer, the coating layer being formed of a coating material selected to bond with the grip material.    
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 17 , in which the grip material has a hardness of approximately 1 to 80 Shore OO durometer allowing the grip layer to achieve a deformed shape under manual pressure, the grip material further having a shape retention adapted to retain the deformed shape for at least 1 second.  
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 18 , in which the grip layer is formed on the rigid barrel by a forming process selected from a group of forming processes comprising casting and molding.  
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 18 , in which the grip material comprises a polyurethane material.  
   
   
       21 . The method of  claim 20 , in which the polyurethane material comprises a two-part polyurethane gel material.  
   
   
       22 . The method of  claim 21  in which the grip layer forming comprises casting.  
   
   
       23 . The method of  claim 17 , in which the coating material has a tensile strength of at least approximately 50 to 1000 psi and an elongation ratio of at least approximately 50 to 2000 percent.  
   
   
       24 . The method of  claim 23 , in which the coating layer is formed on the grip layer by a coating process selected from the group of coating processes comprising spraying, plasma vapor depositing, dip applying, in-mold coating, heat shrink tubing, and elastic fabric forming.  
   
   
       25 . The method of  claim 23 , in which the coating material comprises a polyurethane material.  
   
   
       26 . The method of  claim 25 , in which the coating layer forming comprises spray coating.  
   
   
       27 . The method of  claim 17 , in which the grip material comprises a polyurethane material and the coating material comprises a polyurethane material.  
   
   
       28 . The method of  claim 27 , in which the grip layer forming comprises casting, and in which the coating layer forming comprises spray coating.  
   
   
       29 . A writing implement comprising: 
 a rigid barrel having a length;    a writing tip coupled to the barrel; and    a deformable grip disposed over the rigid barrel, the deformable grip extending over at least half of the rigid barrel length and being formed of a solid viscoelastic grip material.    
   
   
       30 . The writing implement of  claim 29 , in which the grip material has a hardness of approximately 1 to 80 Shore OO durometer allowing the grip layer to achieve a deformed shape under manual pressure.  
   
   
       31 . The writing implement of  claim 30 , in which the grip material further has a shape retention adapted to retain the deformed shape for at least 1 second.  
   
   
       32 . The writing implement of  claim 29 , in which the grip material comprises a viscoelastic polyurethane having a hardness of approximately 40 to 50 Shore OO durometer.  
   
   
       33 . The writing implement of  claim 32 , in which the polyurethane comprises a two-part polyurethane and the deformable grip is formed by casting.  
   
   
       34 . The writing implement of  claim 33 , in which the deformable grip is formed around the barrel so that the deformable grip is permanently bonded to the barrel.  
   
   
       35 . The writing implement of  claim 32 , further comprising a coating disposed over the deformable grip.  
   
   
       36 . The writing implement of  claim 35 , in which the coating comprises a coating material having a tensile strength of approximately 50 to 1000 psi and an elongation ratio of approximately 50 to 2000 percent.  
   
   
       37 . The writing implement of  claim 29 , in which the deformable grip covers at least 80 percent of the barrel length.  
   
   
       38 . The writing implement of  claim 29 , in which the barrel has a tip end adjacent the writing tip and a back end opposite the writing tip, and in which the deformable grip defines a tip end spaced approximately ½ inch from the writing tip and a back end spaced approximately 1 inch from the barrel back end.  
   
   
       39 . The writing implement of  claim 29 , in which the deformable grip defines an overall length of approximately 4 inches.