Mechanically controlled-writing apparatus with presharpened pencil lead elements

Claim 1

A writing implement comprising an elongated annular outer casing (10), an inner tube (20) slidably mounted within said outer casing, and a plurality of sharpened writing elements (30) stacked in axial alignment within said tube; said outer casing comprising an elongated annular member having first and second end sections; said first end section being configured as a tapered frusto-conical wall section (15); a first essentially V-shaped slit (271) extending through said tapered wall section to form an axially elongated resilient leg (12) integral with the tapered wall section; said resilient leg having a cantelever connection with the associated wall section, a free end spaced a short distance axially from the end edge of the tapered wall section, and a hook section (13) extending generally radially inwardly from the free end of said leg (12), said hook section being integral with the leg; said first resilient leg having a normal unstressed position wherein its outer side surface lies in the outer surface plane of the tapered wall section; said resilient leg having a stressed position wherein its outer side surface projects outwardly beyond the outer surface plane of the tapered wall section; said outer casing having a second essentially V-shaped slit (271) spaced axially from said first V-shaped slit to define a second resilient leg; the apex portions of the two Vs facing in opposite directions, with the wall areas circumscribed by the two V-shaped slits being integrally connected, such that inward manual pressure on the second leg produces an outward deflection of the first leg from its normal unstressed position; said tube having a radially enlarged element gripper end section (28) adapted to move between a retracted position extending a relatively short distance out of the tapered wall section, and an extended position projecting a relatively great distance beyond said tapered wall section; two diammetrically spaced slots (23 and 24) formed in said tube end section so that said end section forms a gripper mechanism for the writing elements; said tube being oriented within said casing so that the hook section of the first leg normally extends into the second slot when said gripper end section is in its retracted position whereby said hook section is then located between the projecting writing element and the remaining writing elements within the tube.